Broken Reflections
by siberianknight
Summary: Naruto is knocked out on a mission and awakens in a new place with a Sasuke who isn't quite himself.
1. Strange New World

_Author's Notes_: This story was originally (and still is) part of a SasuNaru Round Robin. I had so many ideas after I completed the chapter, that I decided to write the remaining story. This will ultimately be different from the Round Robin version (since there are three other authors working on the R.R). If you want to read that version please visit the LiveJournal community, **nsnroundrobin**. Note that it is Round Robin #4, Mystery/Horror/Thriller.

Pairings: SasuNaruSasu / Lee/Sakura / Kiba/Hinata  
Warnings whole story: Yaoi, Lemon + Lime scenes, Strong language, Violence

Warnings: Strong Language  
Chapter Status: COMPLETE

-----

Naruto walked carefully down the corridor, making certain that he made no sounds. A large smirk adorned his mischievous face as he neared the last door in the hallway. This was it, he was finally going to be the winner. Quietly, he pushed open the hollow aluminum door. He pulled the white bed sheet down over his lean body and adjusted the mask which fit over it.

Fully prepared to cause Sasuke a heart attack, he charged into the small apartment to only discover he was alone. There was no one home. "Saaasuke," Naruto gritted out. He pulled off his ghost costume and threw it down. "Figures you weren't here. And I was finally going to repay you for scaring me the other day on that mission." The boys were now eighteen and ever since Sasuke's return to Konoha they had been steadily growing closer, but they were still first and foremost rivals.

Naruto walked over to the window and stared out at the crowded street below. People were busy preparing for the fall harvest celebration and there were very few missions for the nins to participate in. He was lost in thought as strong hands reached out from behind and goosed him around his midsection. Naruto jumped and squealed causing his attacker to fall on the floor in a fit of laughter. "I got you again!" It was Sasuke, crumpled up in a ball clutching his sides and guffawing over Naruto's expression. "Some ninja you are."

"I wasn't paying attention, and why would I -- _Sasuke_! It's not like something's going to attack me in your apartment." Sasuke immediately ceased his laughter. He gazed up at the angry man before him and smiled.

"Are you so sure of that?"

"Huh?" Naruto was confused by the velvety tone in Sasuke's voice as he spoke. He knew there were no enemies of Konoha at the present time, and so why would someone be trying to attack him? It just didn't make any sense, but then Sasuke rarely ever made any sense. "Look Sasuke, I think that this whole scaring each other thing is getting silly."

"Silly? Really, _you_ of all people think this is getting silly." Sasuke pushed himself up and moved next to Naruto. He cared about Naruto, but was unable to figure out how to tell him. It was because of this that Sasuke had actually staged a ghost sighting to scare Naruto closer to him. All he had wanted was to take him in his arms and protect him, but that sadly didn't work out. Naruto had instead run all the way back to the village and hid under his bed. Sasuke sighed quietly as the event played out in his mind. "Naruto," Sasuke began. He swallowed hard trying to gather courage up to tell his friend about how he truly felt.

"Aah! Look it's Shikamaru!" Naruto ignored Sasuke and stuck his whole torso out the window to garner Shikamaru's attention. "Hey! Shikamaru!" 

Shikamaru gazed slowly in the direction from which Naruto's loud bellow was emanating. "What!" Naruto really was a pain. 

"I was wondering if you had asked anyone to the festival yet!"

"Why do you care!" Shikamaru rolled his eyes. Honestly, he didn't even really want to go. The only thing he wanted was to sit in a shogi parlor and play chess until he fell asleep.

"I was just wondering. Yeesh." Naruto pulled himself back inside and looked at Sasuke, who was glaring at Naruto. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

"I'm hungry. You want to go and get ramen with me?"

Sasuke was still miffed with Naruto for ignoring him, but any time he got to spend with him made him happy. "Sure." Naruto beamed and grabbed up his sheet and rolled it into a ball.

"Did you really think you were going to scare me with that lame-ass costume?" 

"What do you mean '_lame-ass_'! I worked all night trying to come up with something good." Naruto held up the mask which vaguely resembled that of a noh actor's mask. It was indeed frightening and if you were of the more nervous type, it would be scary but only in the dark. "Sheesh, you would think that my best friend would be a bit more supportive of me."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and chuckled lightly. He truly did love his best friend.

-----

Naruto and Sasuke walked into the Godaime's office early the next day to find out if they had any assignments for that week. "Ah, boys. Come here." The two boys looked at each other, curious as to why Tsunade was so glad to see them. "I was hoping the two of you would show up soon. I have a mission for you. You'll need to gather three other members to go with you. I suggest asking Shikamaru if he will join you."

"What's the mission?" Sasuke asked quietly as he was handed a file.

"There have been some unusual occurrences in the Midorimori1 area."

Naruto glanced over Sasuke's shoulder at the file. "What do you mean by '_unusual occurrences_,' Tsunade obaa-san?"

Tsunade glared a little at Naruto. She had asked him years ago to stop calling her by that nickname, but he just never listened. "Disappearances and reports of odd noises."

"So you want us to gather up a team and check it out?" Sasuke handed the file back to Tsunade.

"Yes."

"Understood." 

"Oh, and boys ... be careful. I'm not entirely certain what's out there, but it may be something that none of you have ever faced before." Sasuke wasn't certain why, but his stomach knotted up at Tsunade's words. He looked over at Naruto who had a grin on his face and seemed completely at ease with their mission. 

"I think we should first ask Shikamaru, then gather the other two." Naruto nodded in agreement with Sasuke's decision. 

"He's probably at the shogi parlor," and Naruto was correct in his assumption, that was exactly where Shikamaru was. "Shikamaru! How's it going?" Naruto peered over his shoulder and disrupted his concentration.

"Back off. I can't think with you hanging over me." Sasuke pulled Naruto away from Shikamaru who made his move and then turned to look at his two visitors. "What do you want?"

"We've been given a mission and we need you to join us." Shikamaru sighed and looked at his playing partner with remorse.

"Sorry, but it looks like we'll have to finish this later when I get back." After saying his excuses, Shikamaru followed silently behind Sasuke and Naruto. He was still amazed that Naruto hadn't a clue that Sasuke cared for him as more than a friend. It was so obvious to everyone, but then Naruto never did see the obvious. "Who else are we going to gather for this mission, and also when are you going to tell me what the mission is?" 

"When we get the other two members." Sasuke glanced over his shoulder and smiled a little. Everything was finally beginning to feel like normal now, and he was being accepted again by all his old classmates. Life was starting to become happy once again. "I thought we'd ask Lee and Kiba for help. A strong fighter and an excellent tracker -- since there are missing people that we're also looking for."

"Missing, huh? Hmm ... this doesn't have anything to do with those disappearances in Midorimori?"

"Yup." Naruto folded his arms behind his head as he walked along the side road in Konoha. There were small puddles which he occasionally splashed in and got Sasuke wet. Unfortunately, Sasuke wasn't reacting as he had hoped he would. Naruto wanted to see the old Sasuke pop out and splash him back, but he seemed to be lost in thought at the moment. "Whatchya thinking about, Sasuke?" 

"Hmm?" Sasuke glanced over at Naruto who was staring at him with a puzzled expression. "What did you say?" Naruto made a pout and snorted quietly. "Sorry."

"It's okay ... I guess." Sasuke had been spacing out a lot lately, and it was starting to annoy Naruto; however, he was at a loss as to how to stop it. The trio gathered up Lee and Kiba, then set off for the eastern section of the fire country.

-----

"So, Lee, how's Sakura?" Sasuke questioned, trying to fill the dead weight of silence in the group.

"Oh, she's doing well, thanks for asking." Lee could feel the overly bright smile stretching across his face. He couldn't help but show his pleasure in the fact that Sakura had finally come around and had said 'yes' to his queries of going out with him. "So, what do you think we should do once we reach our destination, Shikamaru?" 

"Hmm ... I was just thinking about that. I think we should split up initially, and wear our radio communicators. If anything happens we should all head back to a central meeting spot." 

"Sounds good." Sasuke agreed with a smirk. After a muttering of approval the group put on their communicators, and then split from each other. Naruto headed off to the southern area of Midorimori. As the name suggested, the wooded area became thicker and greener with each passing mile. Naruto was traveling along at a decent pace when he heard a noise. He stopped on a thick tree branch and waited for the noise again. It sounded like a cry of a young child. He looked down and couldn't see much of anything for the thick foliage, so he decided to venture down to the forest floor. 

Once on solid ground he gazed around him trying to find the source of the crying. As he was looking, a quick movement caught his eye and he ran in its direction. The closer he came to the rustling leaves, the faster the thing that he was chasing became. After several minutes of chase, Naruto halted abruptly as he had come upon a small hut. The door shut just as he reached it, and with a determined smirk upon his face, Naruto walked up to the door. With a loud creak, the door swung open and Naruto's world suddenly went black.

-----

Naruto blinked several times before the room came into focus. There were loud noises floating to his ears that sounded like a roaring river. He sat up and realized that he was in a soft bed. The room was large and well furnished, but it was not his apartment in Konoha. In fact, he had never seen the place before in his life. He glanced out the window and saw towering buildings which scraped the skyline. Naruto rolled out of the bed and stood, swaying slightly as his head pounded. He didn't know why he felt so horrible or where he was exactly.

Slowly, as to not upset his shaky balance, Naruto walked over to the large windows adorning one wall of the room. He gazed out and down. The view that met him was unlike anything he had ever seen in his life. Far down below the room were dozens and dozens of transport vehicles. He pressed his nose and hands against the glass wondering what it was that he was looking at. 

"Ah, you're awake!" Naruto's heart skipped a beat as he recognized the voice which had just spoken. He turned slowly to see Sasuke standing in the doorway, wearing a silk robe and holding a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Sasuke! Wh-where are we!" 

Sasuke's face contorted in a puzzled expression. He carefully set down his morning coffee and walked over to Naruto. His eyes glowed warmly at the other man, who was starting to back away from him. "Naruto? What's wrong?" Naruto's knees hit the bed and caused him to fall backwards onto it. "Did you change your mind? I thought that you wanted to move in with me ..." Sasuke glared at Naruto, and flopped down onto the bed next to him. Naruto starred at the other man's back, wondering just what had happened. 

"Um ... I don't know what's going on -- at all," Naruto chuckled softly as he sat up. "Look, I think I may have fallen out of bed and hit my head -- um ... yeah, that must have been it." Sasuke's movement was so swift and sudden that Naruto had no time to react. Before he knew it, Sasuke's warm mouth was pressed possessively against his own. Naruto made a panicked squeaking noise as he wiggled away from Sasuke. In his haste to get away from Sasuke's mouth, he fell over backwards and hit his head on the floor. "Ow!" Naruto rubbed his head and looked up at Sasuke who was peering over the edge of the bed at him.

"Are you okay?"

"No ... no I don't think I am -- at all." Naruto wondered where _his_ Sasuke was, and just who this impostor was. Also he would have loved to have known why exactly this Sasuke was so bent on trying to kiss him. It was bad enough the first time, not that Naruto had kissed anyone else since that moment, but this was just too much. Naruto's eyes widened as he realized that Sasuke's tongue had been involved in this kiss. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" Naruto fell backwards on the floor quietly and frantically chanting that it was all just a dream, just a dream. 

"There's nothing wrong with me. I'm starting to wonder what's wrong with you ... I mean last night --" Was it just Naruto's imagination, or was that a blush that was spreading across Sasuke's cheek bones?

"Look, I don't know what's going on. I mean, one minute I was on a mission and now this! Where am I!"

"You're in Tokyo. The same place you were last night ... it's the city you've lived in for quite some time, Naruto."

"Huh?" Naruto was so confused, and the bump on his head was throbbing more now than earlier; it was probably due to Sasuke's odd behavior.

"I'll go get you some coffee, maybe that'll wake you up." Sasuke crawled off the bed and walked out of the room.

"Coffee? I hate coffee ... Sasuke!" Naruto stood and the room began to spin. He carefully lowered himself onto the bed and closed his eyes. Why wasn't he waking up yet? All he wanted was to be free of this nightmare!

"Here, Naruto ... I forgot you don't like coffee, so I got you some juice." Naruto peered up at Sasuke through slitted eyes. He looked exactly like Sasuke. There were no differences at all, the man was an exact replica. Although, his behavior wasn't quite right. He was definitely too mellow, at least that was Naruto's conclusion. "I'm worried about you." Sasuke's face scrunched in a concerned gaze as he sat beside Naruto, who scooted away from this fake Sasuke. "Last night you couldn't keep your hands off of me, why are so shy now?" Finally some annoyance, this was like the old Sasuke. Yet, there was something about what he had just said that disturbed Naruto. He thought for a few moments before it hit him, Sasuke had just mentioned that he hadn't been able to keep his hands off him. Did he mean that they had ... done _that_?

Naruto sat up quickly and pressed himself up against the cold wall behind the bed. "Um," Naruto laughed nervously as he prepared himself to ask his question. "Are you saying that we ... well -- _slept together_?" The last bit was a bare whisper as fear pulsed through his body. He didn't feel any different and his body didn't hurt in places it shouldn't be hurting in, so that meant he _had_ to be dreaming.

"Naruto ... it wasn't our first time. We've been sleeping together since we were first years in high school." That was it, Naruto's brain had snapped. He could feel his sanity slowly leaving him as he stared at the other man. "Look, I've got to go to class ... you try and get some rest and I'll see you at five tonight." Sasuke leaned over and placed a tender kiss upon Naruto's horrified face. With one last look of concern for Naruto, Sasuke walked over to the small chest opposite the bed and allowed his robe to fall quietly to the floor.

He knew that he shouldn't have been staring, but Naruto couldn't pull his eyes away from Sasuke's bottom. It was firm and full, and he had an overwhelming urge to -- Naruto shook the nasty thought from his head. He couldn't believe that he had actually wanted to squeeze Sasuke's butt! He cringed and crawled under the covers, making sure to pull them over his head so he couldn't see any more of Sasuke's body. It was then that he realized he was no longer in his usual ninja outfit, but his boxers alone. "_What the hell was going on_," was what he wanted to scream, but didn't. He didn't much feel like going around in circles anymore with this Sasuke. As soon as he woke up from the nap his body was screaming for, Naruto would find his way back home and get away from this crazy world.

-----

"We could only find the radios." Shikamaru handed Kiba the two communicators which had been the only trace of Sasuke and Naruto left behind. The rest of the group had immediately responded when they had heard the two scream, but had failed to make it to either one in time. Both Sasuke and Naruto had become victims. It was with heavy hearts that Shikamaru, Lee, and Kiba returned to Konoha to inform Tsunade of what had happened, and to decide what to do next. 

1 Midorimori - midori means green and mori means forest. Sorry for the goofy name, but it was all I could come up with that had an odd sound to it.

_Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, TV-Tokyo, & Shounen Jump_


	2. Mounting Frustrations

_Author's Notes_: I don't really have much to say about this chapter. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as the first.   
Oh, and I do know that grammatically speaking, it's supposed to be midori _no_ mori, but since it's the name of a place, I didn't want it to be so much a sentence as I did a name. So I dropped the _no_ from the word. nn

Warnings: None   
Chapter Status: COMPLETE

-----

Naruto curled up in a tight ball under the covers. The odd thing was that the bed seemed somewhat familiar to him, but he was at a loss as to why. After he heard the front door shut behind Sasuke, he slowly pushed the covers down from his head. The room was small, but cozy. The fact that there was a large moving box in the corner of the room indicated that Sasuke had been telling the truth about him moving in the previous day.

Naruto climbed off the bed and walked slowly over to the box. It was marked, '_Naruto's Junk_,' it was obviously Sasuke's writing. His calligraphy was always so neat and even. Naruto rolled his eyes and opened up the box. Inside he found clothing, none of which he ever remembered purchasing. Not that he had bad taste, it looked to be very nice clothes, and was exactly what he would have bought ... had he actually bought them. A loud ringing noise caused Naruto to jump. He looked around the room and wondered what the noise could be. Following the sound, he discovered that it was emanating from a funny looking object sitting on a side table in the main room of the apartment.

Naruto examined the object and carefully picked up the removable part. Once he did so, he stared at it because it had stopped ringing. A voice began to come out of the speakers on the device. It was Sakura. "Hello? ... Sasuke? ... Naruto?"

Naruto wasn't sure what to do with it. "Huh ... Sakura-chan?" He was holding the thing close to his mouth when he spoke; he still didn't know what it was, but it did remind him a little of the communicators which they used on missions.

"Naruto? Is something wrong? Why didn't you say something when you picked up the phone?" Naruto slowly moved the receiver to his ear and realized that he could hear Sakura so much better with it in that position.

"Oh, um ... I dunno. Sorry. Hey, Sakura ... um can I ask you something?" 

"Sure." Sakura sounded happy, yet another odd mark in this world. Normally she would have yelled at him over not saying anything, but she just simply asked it, almost as if they were friends ... _real_ friends.

"Well ... I think I've hit my head or something. I'm not sure, but listen -- don't think I'm acting weird or anything ... did I really move in with Sasuke?" 

"Yeah ... why do you ask?"

Naruto walked over to the small futon which dominated the small room, and sat down. "Well ... I don't remember it. I also ... never mind." He had almost stated that he didn't remember a place called Tokyo, but decided that she would _definitely_ call him weird after saying that. 

"Naruto," Sakura was laughing, she was actually laughing at him. Well, now Naruto felt at home. At least there was one thing that was normal, and it was Sakura's reactions. "Were you two drinking last night?" She was still giggling.

"No," Naruto ground out through clinched teeth. Why was she asking him that? She knew that he didn't drink ... well not since that one time when he got drunk and danced around naked. He had always tried to forget that had happened, but no one else would let him. "I just -- never mind. Did you want something?"

"Yeah, did you forget?"

"Forget what?" Naruto felt an odd twinge in the back of his mind. He wasn't sure what it was, just that it felt like he had honestly forgotten something important.

"Silly, Lee and my engagement dinner ... it's tonight." Sakura sighed, she had known that Naruto would forget about it. That had been her reason behind telling Sasuke first, so that they would definitely be at the party.

"Oh ... that ... um -- no I didn't forget. We'll be there. Promise!" Naruto wasn't about to show anymore weakness to Sakura. He still felt the sting of all the teasing when he was younger, and although he always managed to be better than the taunting, it still hurt.

"Riiight, Naruto. I know Sasuke will remember ... so don't forget to wear your Spring kimono! I'll see you tonight. Bye!" There was a soft click and then a quiet but steady beeping replaced Sakura's voice. Naruto took the '_phone_' away from his ear and replaced the handset. He gazed at the small room and noticed that one wall had pictures on a bulletin board. He walked up to the board and studied the photographs pinned to it's cork surface. They were all of Sasuke and himself. There was one that caught his attention. The two were standing together, Sasuke was behind Naruto and had his arms wrapped around the other boy's waist. They looked happy and in love.

Naruto's stomach growled loudly, and he realized that he hadn't eaten anything since he woke up. He walked into the small kitchen which was just across from the bedroom. He rummaged through the cabinets until he found some ramen. Naruto sat down and began to plan what he should do about his situation. Obviously there was no getting back to Konoha, because he wasn't even certain as to how he had arrived in this Tokyo place. There was only one thing he could do ... explore.

Naruto quickly finished his ramen and downed an entire glass of milk before heading for the small bathroom in the apartment. He gazed inside and noticed that there was a shower. "Sasuke and I must be paying a lot for this place ..." He grinned and happily rinsed away some of his worry with a hot shower. Once done he dressed and then walked to the door. It was then that he realized he couldn't really go anywhere, because he didn't have a key. "Damnit!" Naruto made a low growling noise as he slipped his shoes off. "So just what the hell am I supposed to do until Sasuke gets back?" His face scrunched up into a pout as he looked at the small room. The apartment wasn't very big. The main room only held a small television set, a futon, and there was a table next to the TV which had the phone on it. The kitchen was also the dining area and had a small table in the center of it. Then there was the bedroom, which was the same size as the main room. Naruto thought that it wasn't all that much bigger than either Kakashi-sensei's room or Iruka-sensei's room. "I wonder if they're in this weird world too ..."

Not coming up with anything constructive to do, Naruto plopped down onto the futon and clicked on the TV. He flipped through the channels until he landed on what appeared to be a soap opera. After a few moments, his eyelids began to sag, and he soon fell asleep.

-----

Sasuke sat in his calculus class staring out the window for most of it. He couldn't figure out why Naruto was acting so odd. It wasn't as if he _had_ hit is head or anything of that nature, so just why was he pretending to not remember anything? "Sasuke-kun!" The teacher's outburst caused Sasuke's head to snap forward and face the one who had just yelled.

"Y-yes, Sensei?"

"Your homework, pass if forward ..." Sasuke glanced around at the other students who were now snickering softly. He had never spaced out in class, that had always been Naruto's job. He felt so embarrassed. Almost enough to crawl under his desk, but that would've just made everything worse. The papers were passed forward and Sasuke relaxed a little. Maybe Naruto was just playing with him. Yes, that had to be it ... because why would he lose his memory like that?

Class finally came to an end and Sasuke exited the building as quickly as possible. If he were lucky, Setsuko would be nowhere in sight. Unfortunately, he was wrong. "_Sa...suke...kun_!" The five-foot tall monster came running up to Sasuke's side and happily twined her arm around his own. "I've been looking for you! I wanted to know if you were busy tonight ... you know so you could tutor me in math." Her smile was so amazingly fake that it made Sasuke want to laugh. She was only interested in him now because he had blown her off in high school. When she had found out that he was gay, that made it all the more intriguing for her to try and trap him. Setsuko wanted to be the one who turned Sasuke straight, which was never, ever going to happen. However, Sasuke wasn't going to be rude to her, because the last time he did, she had pitched an almighty hissy fit in front of nearly the entire college. She was actually a pretty girl, just very clingy. 

"Um ... Setsuko--"

"Setsu ... how many times do I have to tell you."

Sasuke groaned inwardly. He didn't want to call her by a pet name, especially since he didn't consider her a friend of his. "Setsu," Sasuke knew that he had said her name forcefully, but cared little at the moment. He just wanted to get rid of her so he could go home to Naruto. "Look, I have a previous engagement tonight. So I'm sorry, I can't help you with math."

"Oh ..." Setsuko sounded like a wounded child, and Sasuke despised how that made him feel guilty. He was not, however, going to jilt Sakura and Lee for this annoying female. "Is it with Naruto?"

"Yes." They were growing steadily closer to the bus stop, and Sasuke was silently pleading with her to go away.

"Fine. I'll get someone else." Setsuko shoved Sasuke's arm back against his body, and then stomped off in the opposite direction of the bus stop.

"Thank you." Sasuke waited for the bus to show up and was grateful that he wasn't having to endure Setsuko's company.

"Hey, Sasuke!" It was Kiba and Hinata was not too far behind him. Sasuke waved and smiled in greeting to his friends. "Did Sakura call you today?" 

"I'm not sure. I've been here all day ... since I've got that big paper I have to write for my history class."

"Yeah, she called ... apparently she thinks that we've all completely forgotten her dinner party tonight." Kiba laughed and then looked over at his girlfriend. It hadn't been easy convince Hinata to go on a date with him, but once he did, the two had become inseparable. 

"Well, it is Sakura ... she's always been a little bit of a worrier." The bus alert began to ching as the bus slowed down close to the stop. "Here's my ride ... I'll see you guys tonight."

"Just wait until you see Hinata's kimono. She sowed it herself." Kiba squeezed his girl tightly around the waist as he praised her skill and looks. "She looks beautiful in it." 

"K-Kiba ..." Hinata blushed, but had a bright smile all the same. "Bye, Sasuke-kun."

"Later, Hinata." Sasuke climbed onto the bus and took a seat. Surely by now Naruto was rested and was getting ready for the dinner. At least, those were his hopes. Once he arrived at the bus stop near his apartment, he exited and hurried home. He found that Naruto was indeed not dressed for dinner, and was sound asleep on the futon. "Naruto ..." Sasuke shook his boyfriend and said a silent prayer of hope that he was now back to normal.

Naruto swatted at the unwelcome interruption of his sleep. "Go away," he mumbled and rolled to get away from the strong hand which was shaking him. His roll wasn't exactly planned well for he ended up in a heap on the hard floor. "Oww ..." 

"Why aren't you ready?"

Naruto lifted his head and peered at Sasuke through sleep ladened eyes. "Huh?"

"Ready for Sakura and Lee's engagement dinner ..." Sasuke made an exasperated huffing noise as he lifted Naruto to his feet. "Come on, I'll help." He and a still sleepy Naruto stumbled into their bedroom where Sasuke set Naruto down against the bed. "Where's your kimono?"

"In the bottom drawer." Naruto fell backwards on the soft bed and grinned with contentment. "Cozy ..." He curled up in a little ball and fell asleep once again.

Sasuke turned with a kimono in his hands, along with a white oxford shirt. He groaned when he found that the one he was trying to help get ready was snoring softly. "Naruto! Wake up!" His loud voice caused Naruto to bolt upright and stare in confusion, most likely he was wondering why he had been awakened yet again. "Here ... you _need_ to get ready."

Naruto wasn't sure what was going on, nor was he certain as to why Sasuke was continually keeping him from sleeping. It seemed like this had happened more than once this day, yet the memory was a bit fuzzy. "Say, Sasuke ... did you yell at me any other time today?"

"Yell at you? No. Well, I did this morning when I fixed breakfast and you still weren't up. But that was the only time."

"Oh." Sasuke was walking toward Naruto with the clothes in his arms. Naruto raised his arms, he was still half asleep. Sasuke slipped the tee off of the other boy's lean body, then off came the jeans. Naruto took the kimono and the crisp white shirt, then slowly pulled them into place. "There. I'm ready."

Sasuke began to snicker and reached a hand up to calm the wild blond hairs which were sticking out in every direction. "You need to go and brush your hair."

"Huh? Oh ... okay." Naruto trudged out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. He opened the small medicine cabinet and pulled out the hair brush. With a loud yawn, he began to try to tame his unruly mess of hair. Sasuke stood at the doorway, watching him. He could tell that whatever had been off about him earlier was now gone. The fact that he had known where everything was without so much as a second's hesitation was proof enough.

"Naruto ... are feeling better than when I left?"

"What do you mean?" Naruto's brain had still been a bit blurry from sleep, but was now clearing. He remembered everything then. "Oh ... you mean the fact that you and I -- are ..." He swallowed hard as he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

"_Boyfriends_," Sasuke finished with a glare. "Yes, that. Plus the fact that we're living together now ... are you still saying you don't remember moving in yesterday?" 

Naruto looked around the bathroom trying to find some sort of escape route, but there was none. He laughed softly and then sighed in resignation. "Yeah. I don't remember it ... I'm sorry Sasuke. I can see that it upsets you and I don't mean to make you sad." Naruto peered at Sasuke awaiting the usual explosion of egotism that he used to mask his true feelings, but Sasuke just turned and walked to the futon. "Sasuke?" This wasn't like him, moping in front of Naruto like this. Sasuke just never did anything like that. To show that form of weakness would have been to resign his position in their mini-competition. The expression upon Sasuke's face concerned him the most. "Did I say something?"

"I was just wondering what we were going to do tonight after the dinner. I guess I could sleep in here ..." Sasuke glanced uncaring at the black cushion of the futon.

"Sasuke ... you don't have to sleep in here. I'll do it. You can have your bed."

"_Our_ bed. We bought it together ... or did you forget that too?" Naruto didn't know how to respond. Sasuke was being so serious, and it was obvious that Naruto's memory failure was hurting him.

"Sasuke ... I -- I really can't remember anything. I'm sorry."

Sasuke breathed in deeply to push away the tears which were threatening to fall. "We should get going. The restaurant's a good forty minute drive from here." The two walked down to the bus stop in silence. Neither one knew what to say to the other, and they were both feeling a bit confused by the situation. Naruto glanced over at the man who had been his best friend, rival, and idol since they were both small boys. His feelings for Sasuke were strong, but he had never considered doing anything with him. In fact, Naruto had never even thought about _being_ with a boy. He never thought about sex at all. It was always thoughts of how he could be a better ninja, so that he could protect the ones he loved. No there was no way that he could ever be intimate with a boy, there was just no way. He had to get back home to Konoha, to where everything made sense to him and nothing was turned upside down. "Naruto, for the sake of our friends ... please don't let them know that you've forgotten things."

"I promise." Anything to get rid of that sad expression on Sasuke's face. The thought that he would do _anything_ startled Naruto somewhat. He hadn't expected to have so strong a desire to maintain Sasuke's happiness, but that was just because they were best friends. Yes, Naruto realized with a touch of relief, that was all it was. Their friendship was causing this odd fluttering in his chest. It had nothing to do with being attracted to him, because he wasn't.

-----

"Tsunade-sama! Tsunade-sama!" Shizune came running into the fifth Hokage's office carrying the two communicators in her fisted hand.

"What is it Shizune?" Tsunade had had an uneasy feeling all day, but couldn't figure out why she had felt worried, until now. The two communicators were all she needed to see. Naruto was gone.

"Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun ... they -- they disappeared." Tears were flowing freely down her rounded face as Shizune told the entirety of the story to the Hokage.

"Damn," Tsunade whispered. She took in a calming breath, after a handful of years as hokage, she had learned that allowing her emotions to take over was very dangerous. "Send out a rescue party. Send the leader of Anbu to see me. I must speak with him immediately. These two _must_ be found. Even if it's only their bodies ..."

"Yes, ma'am." Shizune scurried off to set Tsunade's orders into motion. Tsunade sat down at her desk and stared at the two communicators. There was no way that the two top nins in the village had succumbed to the same mysterious power which had lured so many other innocent victims, was there?

"Please, both of you be safe ..." Tsunade's soft prayer drifted out the windows on the cool spring breeze.

_Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, TV-Tokyo, & Shounen Jump_


	3. Emptiness

_Author's Notes_: Hmm ... not much to say again ... so enjoy this chapter! 

Warnings: Slight bit of angst  
Chapter Status: COMPLETE

-----

The bus pulled up to the stop and Naruto jumped backwards. He was wondering why they had just stopped at the corner of the street, but he had no idea that they had been waiting for this large monstrous beast to pull up. He swallowed hard as he watched Sasuke board the bus and turn to face Naruto. "Naruto? What are you doing?" Sasuke said with a slightly annoyed tone edging his deep voice. "Stop gawking and get on! We'll be late."

"Y-you want me ... on that?" Naruto couldn't do it, he didn't know what it was. The thing was making a horrid noise that sounded like Jiraiya's snores amplified several times over. In all of his life, he had never seen something that concerned him more.

"Don't be ridiculous, Naruto -- get on _now_." Sasuke chuckled nervously as he turned to smile at the bus driver, who made a show of his sighing. Obviously he was upset with Naruto as well. Sasuke lowered his voice to a near whisper, this was really silly of Naruto to take this amnesia thing this far. "If you don't get on now, I'll drag you on," he threatened softly.

Naruto looked around, everyone onboard the bus was staring at him with impatience. With a deep breath for strength, he slowly took each step until he was on the bus. Sasuke dragged him to the back and pushed him down into a seat. The bus began to move with a slight jolt and Naruto grabbed ahold of Sasuke.

"Naruto ... ease up, everyone's staring." Sasuke felt warmth began to creep into his cheeks as he looked around the bus at all the soft brown eyes staring back at them. Naruto let go of Sasuke and sat back into his seat. They were moving quickly down the street, this was something that he couldn't figure out. What was running this large contraption, he decided to pester Sasuke for answers.

"Say, Sasuke ... what is this thing?"

"Huh?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Naruto didn't know what a bus was? He had to be kidding. Surely, he knew that it was bus, a large motor vehicle.

"This thing that we're sitting in. Does it run on chakara? Or something else?" 

"'_Chakara_?' What do you mean? It runs on diesel, it's like gasoline only refined differently."

"'_Gasoline_?' What's that?"

Sasuke's head slumped over in aggravation. Naruto was being honest, he wasn't playing in any way. Those bright blue eyes told him that Naruto had no clue what he was talking about. Sasuke lifted his head and forced a smile, even though it looked more like a grimace to Naruto. "Gasoline is what allows cars -- those things," Sasuke pointed out the window at the smaller vehicles on the roadway, "and this bus to move. They also need batteries."

"OH! I know what those are." Naruto's smile lit up his face and caused Sasuke to temporarily forget how to breathe. He glanced away from the face that was bringing him such misery and decided staring out the window was safer.

"That's good. Well, that's what this runs on."

Naruto wondered why Sasuke had suddenly looked away from him, but put it aside because another question had come into his head. "So, what was that growling noise I heard when we were standing on the street corner?" 

"'_Growling_?' You mean the engine noise?" 

"There's an engine in it?"

"Good, you know what an engine is. Yeah, there's one under the hood of the bus. Cars have one too." Naruto took in the information which Sasuke had given him and made a soft grunting noise as he stored it within his brain. Sasuke sighed when he heard the soft grunting and gently rubbed his temple with one hand. He wished that everything would fix itself magically and that the Naruto whom he had gone to bed with the previous night would come back, but he knew that wasn't going to happen.

-----

The restaurant was in a lower floor of a shopping center. It was a French-Japanese restaurant and Sasuke could already feel his stomach tightening up on him. "Naruto, remember --" 

"Yeah, yeah ... act normal." Sasuke could see the hurt on Naruto's face, but decided that if he apologized it would only lead to an argument. They were escorted to the table, and apparently were the first of the guests to arrive.

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto! How are you?" Naruto paused as he looked at Sakura. She was dressed in a pale pink kimono which was embellished with tiny cherry blossoms that pooled into white at the bottom of the kimono. She looked beautiful. "Naruto? Na-ru-to?" Sakura waved her hand in front of her friend's face trying to pull him out of his odd expression. "Sasuke-kun, what's wrong with him?"

Sasuke's stomach tightened even more. Naruto had promised that he wouldn't do anything weird, and this was very odd. He was openly staring at Sakura, the girl whom he had cared for as a sister. The three of them had been together since elementary school, and even if Naruto hadn't known at the time that he was gay, Sasuke did. So why was it that Naruto was nearly ogling her? "Naruto? Snap out of it ... you act as if you haven't seen her in years." Sasuke laughed nervously, and prayed that no one thought his laugh sounded forced.

It was Lee who pulled Naruto out of his daze. He walked over to Naruto and clapped him heartily on the back in greeting. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah. It has." Naruto wasn't sure how long it'd been since the other him had last seen Lee, so he just went along with it. He could feel the relief easing over Sasuke and was happy that he hadn't angered him again. "So, Sakura ... you look nice." Naruto felt very awkward talking this openly with the girl whom he'd had a crush on for as long as he could remember. Despite the fact that she was also dating Lee in his world, it still felt odd to be this familiar with her.

"Thanks, you too. Both of you ... look at you. Very handsome couple I must say." Sakura walked back to her seat and Sasuke and Naruto took theirs as well. The small group eased into a comfortable conversation in which Naruto tried his best to act like he knew what was going on. As the night went on, and more familiar faces appeared, Naruto found himself wishing desperately that he knew more about this life which he had been forced into. He glanced up and down the long table at faces he had known for years back in Konoha. Iruka-sensei was there, with his life-partner, Kakashi-sensei; this knowledge had thrown Naruto for a loop and he had nearly blown his cover with his half hidden reaction to the news. Kiba and Hinata were of course there, that match was not a surprise to Naruto. Kiba had been trying to get Hinata to go out with him for years, and had just recently succeeded in getting her to say yes. As it turned out, Naruto discovered that the story of this Kiba and Hinata was not so different. Then there was everyone else, Chouji, Shikamaru, Neiji, everyone was there. Naruto would have felt at home again if it weren't for the fact that they all seemed a little different from the people he had known. The whole evening caused him to grow very homesick.

On the ride home, Sasuke finally brought himself to look at Naruto again. He was moping over something, and Sasuke's first instinct was that he had caused it somehow. "You did good. Thanks."

Naruto grunted softly in reply and turned his back to Sasuke so that he could look out the window. It was night and the lights from the buildings blurred as the bus drove past them. He wanted to go home so badly now. There was no real point in staying in this place since there was nothing for him there. He didn't really know any of the people whom he had grown to love and care for in Konoha, and he didn't even really understand the Sasuke which was sitting next to him.

Sasuke reached out and lightly placed his hand on Naruto's tense shoulder. He gently began to massage the stress out of Naruto's body. "I'm sorry. I didn't think about how tonight would upset you ... since you can't remember anything. It must've been hard trying to keep up with the conversations." 

Sasuke's hands were somehow comforting and Naruto began to lean backwards against that lean body of his best friend. "Sasuke," Naruto closed his eyes as he spoke, fearing that tears might escape if he didn't. "Tell me ... do you think there's any way for me to get back to where I came from?"

"Huh? You mean that little town west of Osaka? What was it again ...?" Sasuke tried to remember the name of the town in which Naruto had been born in and had spent the first three years of his life.

"Not that. Konoha. Do you think I can get back there? Or am I stuck here?"

A lump began to form in Sasuke's throat as he listened to Naruto. He didn't want him to go, he couldn't let him go. Naruto was going to stay there with him, and he was going to remember everything. Sasuke would wait, he would be patient. "Naruto," he didn't want to say it, "I think there might be a way." But he had said the words, he just wasn't able to stop them from coming forth. 

Naruto quickly sat up and smiled brightly at Sasuke. "You really think so?"

"Uh, well ... I don't know of any way, but I guess ... if it's the truth that you aren't _my_ Naruto ... then I guess there must be a way for you to get back to your home." The look on Sasuke's face tore at Naruto's heart. He wasn't sure why, but the overwhelming urge to take Sasuke into his arms and hold him creeped into his system. Why was he thinking thoughts like that? Naruto just didn't understand. The rest of the ride home was spent in silence.

It wasn't until they were inside their apartment, that Naruto broke the quiet. "Good night Sasuke." He curled up on the futon with a blanket which had been draped across its back. Sasuke stood staring at the other man, wondering what had gotten into him. Could it be that he was homesick? Or was there something more brewing in that spastic brain of his? It was impossible for him to come to any sort of conclusion just standing there staring at the blond head poking out from beneath the blanket. Sasuke turned off the light, and walked slowly into his empty bedroom.

-----

Naruto awoke in the dead of night, unable to fall asleep again. He rolled onto his back and stared up into the pitch blackness of the room. The soft noises emanating from the bedroom told Naruto that Sasuke was sound asleep. It wasn't that he snored, just breathed very heavily. This thought made Naruto snicker because that was a bad quality for a ninja, but one couldn't really help the way he slept.

With a deep sigh, Naruto swung his legs over the side of the futon and sat up. He rubbed the little bit of sleep from his eyes and waited until they adjusted to the darkness. He fumbled his way into the bathroom and sat down on the toilet. It wasn't that he had to use the bathroom, he just didn't want the light from the main room to awaken Sasuke. "I wonder what everyone's doing back at home. I wonder what Sasuke's doing ..." Naruto decided that his long time rival and best friend was probably taking this opportunity to advance his skills so that he could say he was stronger than Naruto in some jutsu.

Deciding that Sasuke was more than likely training, Naruto decided to mold some chakara just for practice, and to hopefully tire himself out. He placed his fingers together in the proper seal, and then concentrated ... nothing happened. "Huh?" He was at a loss as to why he couldn't feel any chakara moving within him or around him. Naruto tried again, this time he concentrated a little harder. There was still no reaction. "What the hell?" Knowing that the seal on his belly showed up every time he used chakara in any form, he stood before the mirror with his shirt off. Naruto stared at his belly as he attempted a _kage bunshin_. There was no seal. In fact, he just realized that he couldn't feel the kyuubi within him.

Naruto panicked. He had no idea what was going on, or why he was unable to use his chakara. The thing that scared him the most was that the kyuubi was missing. Completely forgetting that it was about two in the morning, he ran into Sasuke's room and turned on the light. Sasuke groaned and sat up, unsure of what was going on. "Naruto? What's wrong ... I was sleeping you know. Idiot." The last bit he mumbled softly, not that it mattered for Naruto was pacing frantically before the bed, wringing his hands together. "Naruto? Did something happen?" Sasuke could see that the look of worry was genuine, and grew concerned for his friend.

"Um ... Sasuke ... I can't use my chakara -- at all ... and -- and ... the kyuubi -- it's _gone_." Naruto turned wild eyes to face Sasuke, who had a look of complete confusion on his face.

"I -- Naruto, what in heaven's name are you talking about? You woke me up for that nonsense?" Sasuke pulled the covers over his head and grunted angrily. "Go back to bed."

Naruto yanked the covers off of Sasuke and glared down at him. "Look, I know you think I'm crazy, but I'm _not_. I'm sick of you not listening to me. This is no different than before you went all stupid and decided that only Orochimaru could help you defeat Itachi! My world is different than this one. I was a ninja there, and used my chakara to form seals and perform jutsus. But I can't do that now! And ... the kyuubi was a demon which the yondaime had sealed within me for my protection and the world's!" Sasuke stared at Naruto who was panting from his emotional explosion.

"I still don't understand what you're talking about ... '_jutsus_?' '_kyuubi_?' What are you talking about?"

Naruto sighed and sat down on the bed next to Sasuke. "I told you ... I was a ninja in my world. And I had a demon sealed within me ..." He began to stare at his hands which gripped the blanket on the bed. Naruto wasn't sure how this Sasuke would take that news. It wasn't as if he knew about how the kyuubi had killed people and destroyed villages, he hadn't had to live through anything like that. Though, there was still that chance that it might cause him to feel uneasy around Naruto, and he couldn't take that. Not from Sasuke.

"Naruto ... this amnesia thing, it's not fake is it?"

"I don't have amnesia!" Naruto's eyes flared and he strode angrily over to the windows and gazed out at the city. Why couldn't Sasuke just accept that he wasn't from this world? Was it really that hard to do? 

Sasuke slid out of bed and walked over to Naruto. It was at that moment that he noticed something odd. Naruto was taller than he. This wasn't right, Naruto had never been taller than Sasuke. He had always been just a little shorter, not much, but still shorter. Sasuke backed away slowly from the man standing before him. Maybe Naruto wasn't suffering from amnesia, and maybe he wasn't crazy. This was just wrong. There was no way that he could be taller than him. No one grew _that_ fast. He would have had to have grown a good 7 centimeters1 in order to be the height he was now, and he would have had to have done that in one day. "N-Naruto ... um, how did you get taller than me?"

"Huh? Since we turned seventeen." Naruto looked at Sasuke quizzically, wondering what had made him ask that question.

"You've never been taller than me." Sasuke's eyes held a note of sadness as he looked at Naruto. This wasn't _his_ Naruto, this man before him was from another world ... it was the only explanation.

"_See_ ... I'm not your Naruto -- I'm sorry, but I'm not. I can't be Sasuke, I'm not in love with you like that. I'm sorry." Naruto watched as Sasuke turned his back to him. He could tell that Sasuke was hiding his emotions, but knew better than to say anything to him. 

"Naruto, I don't know how you got here ... but I would like to know where _my_ Naruto is. We need to find someone who can help us." Sasuke took a deep breath to prevent himself from crying despite his body's screaming for release. "I've got classes tomorrow ... and coincidentally, so do you."

"Huh? Classes? You mean at school!" Naruto's voice cracked slightly as he realized that he would have to go and participate in a class he knew nothing about. "What if I just say I'm sick and stay here?" 

Sasuke had to laugh at the hopeful tone in Naruto's voice, he turned and smiled slightly. "That's probably a smart move. If you go and get called on, you probably wouldn't be able to answer. Just stay home for the rest of the week, and then we'll go out this weekend and do some research." Naruto heartily agreed to the plan and then turned to leave the room, but before he turned out the light he had one last thing to say to Sasuke.

"We'll find him. I know we will ... you'll have him back in your arms where he belongs -- I promise." Naruto smiled brightly and clicked off the light.

-----

"Tsunade, you wanted to see me?" Jiraiya strode into the godaime's office, a serious look adorning his usually smiling face. He had heard about Naruto and Sasuke's disappearances and was concerned for both of the boys.

"Yes, Jiraiya ... have you heard anything -- anything at all about the boys?"

"I'm afraid not. I have heard some disturbing things about those woods they were in. Apparently many people who were unhappy have gotten lost within the thick foliage. They've never been found. In fact, no one could find anything of the people who have gone missing." 

Tsunade sat down behind her desk and rested her head within the nest of her arms. Why did this have to happen to _those_ two boys? Naruto especially. He was like a kin to her, and it felt almost the same as when she had lost her younger brother all those years ago. Jiraiya walked over to the desk and laid a caring hand on her shoulder.

"We'll find them. They'll be the first survivors ... I swear to you. If I have to do it ... I'll bring them back even if it costs me my life."

-----

1 this equals about 3 inches. Since Sasuke was always a bit taller than Naruto, I decided that about an inch and a half would be enough for one to notice a height difference, but small enough to where you wouldn't notice immediately.

_Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, TV-Tokyo, & Shounen Jump_


	4. Hidden Clues

_Author's Notes_: Finally after being sick, I finished this chapter. Hopefully the weather will improve and my allergies/sinusitis won't bother me so much. Fresh air helps me to not get as many sinus infections ...  
So this is the fourth chapter of B.R. I hope everyone is still enjoying it. Things are starting to get a little more complicated now in this chapter. 

Warnings: Sexuality, Language  
Chapter Status: COMPLETE

-----

Naruto curled himself closer to the radiant warmth near him. He couldn't remember a single time in his life when he had felt so comfortable or safe. He let out a soft sigh and wrapped his arm around the source of the heat. As he snuggled deeper against the other body, he felt a tender brush of lips against his forehead. "Sasuke ..." He mumbled softly and contentedly.

Sasuke grinned at Naruto's sleeping face, he had crawled into bed with him at some point during the night and had immediately began to cuddle. Sasuke ran his fingers through the messy blond locks and lowered his mouth onto Naruto's. At first Naruto felt a bolt of fiery warmth rush through his still sleeping body, but then his brain began to force him to awaken. Without warning, Sasuke was shoved away and Naruto was standing, wiping his mouth to rid himself of the remnants of the kiss. "What the hell? Sasuke, what was that?"

Sasuke sighed as he realized that Naruto was now fully awake. "You were snuggling, it felt right ... sorry." He rolled over and made a show of angrily pulling the blankets back up over his shoulders. Naruto stared at the back of his friend's head. He then realized that he had been in bed with him, and had no recollection as to how he had ended up back in Sasuke's room.

"Sasuke," Naruto began quietly. After he heard Sasuke grunt, he continued. "Um, why was I in here?"

"I don't know ... I woke up about an hour ago and you were practically crowding me out of the bed. But then the _other_ you normally did that too."

Naruto looked at the bed and the memory of seeking a familiar warmth creeped into his mind. Why would he have done something like that? It wasn't as if he had never slept alone. In fact he had never shared a bed with anyone ... other than Jiraiya while they were trying to find Tsunade. He turned to leave the room, but then stopped as he realized how lonely the thoughts of returning to the cold futon were. "Say, Sasuke ..."

"What now?" He was starting to sound a little angry, but that didn't stop him from continuing.

"Can I stay in here -- I mean ... since I was in here already, and the bed is more comfortable than the futon." Naruto ended his stuttery sentence with an equally nervous sounding laugh. Sasuke rolled over and stared at him. It was still early morning and there was only the soft light from the sinking moon filtering in through the windows. He felt the tingle in his groin and tried to force it away by looking up at the ceiling. This was _not_ his Naruto, he couldn't do that to this man. He rolled over and put a pillow at his back.

"Get in." Naruto crawled into bed and grabbed onto one of the two pillows behind his head. He wasn't going to cuddle again, he promised himself that he wouldn't. It was just too odd waking up _that_ close to Sasuke. After wiggling for a good ten minutes, Naruto finally fell asleep, and Sasuke wasn't very far behind. 

Naruto groaned softly as a warm hand began to run up and down his thigh. He could feel himself getting aroused, but thought very little of what exactly was happening. The touching felt too good and it felt right. A hot mouth pressed down onto his and he responded by pushing and rubbing against the tongue which was trying to invade his own mouth. The hand which had been stroking his thigh, pushed down the pajama bottoms and eagerly wrapped itself tightly around him. Naruto let out a loud moan as the hand began to work against his sensitive skin. He reached out and wrapped his arms around the shoulders of the one who was brining him so much pleasure and pulled him closer.

Naruto held onto that body as he quivered with release. He could hear his name being whispered in his ear, but failed to understand what else the voice was saying. He smiled as his body, now feeling very heavy, slowly gave back into sleep. "Figures, you'd fall asleep again ... I'm sorry, Naruto. I guess I shouldn't have allowed myself to give into temptation ... hopefully you won't remember this tomorrow." Sasuke ran his fingers through the thick blonde locks and placed a soft kiss upon Naruto's head. "Sleep well ..."

-----

Naruto stretched as his eyes fluttered open. The room was still dark, but that was because Sasuke hadn't raised the shades on the windows yet. Naruto glanced at the clock and noted that Sasuke had allowed him to sleep as long as he had needed. He rolled out of bed and realized with some surprise that he was actually more comfortable today than he had been the previous day. Things didn't seem quite so strange and he had confidence that he would make it back home.

Naruto showered and then ate some breakfast, then with a bit of disappointment realized he was still stuck in the apartment. "Great ... I get to be bored out of my mind until Sasuke gets back. Yay." He slumped down onto the futon and clicked on the television. There he sat until Sasuke returned later that afternoon. 

When Sasuke returned, he found Naruto yelling at the television. He had found a soccer game and was apparently completely engrossed in it. Sasuke just stood there, watching Naruto enjoy the game, and he felt somehow that he had _his_ Naruto back. "Who's winning?"

"Um ... the team in blue -- I've forgotten their name." Sasuke sat next to Naruto and began watching the game as well. "Um, Sasuke ... I was wondering, could you leave me a key so I could go out while you're at school? It gets really boring here alone."

"Oh, uh ... sure thing. Sorry about that. I guess I didn't think that you'd get bored sitting around here all day." In fact, he hadn't thought about that at all. He was so concerned about the fact that this Naruto wasn't the right one, that he had completely forgotten about his attention span. Even if they weren't the same Narutos, they still behaved the same way. "I'll leave you one tomorrow. Right now, if you'd like, can we go out together?"

"Out? For food? Ramen?" Naruto's grin was wide and eager and caused Sasuke to chuckle softly.

"Yeah, if that's what you want. We can go to that little soba restaurant you like so much."

"Woohoo!" Naruto jumped up excitedly and ran to the door. "Well, are we going?" Sasuke laughed as he picked up his keys and followed Naruto out of the apartment.

-----

His eyes felt as if they had been glued to the tops of his cheeks. No matter how hard he tried, they refused to open. He wasn't certain where he was, but he could hear thunder rolling in the distance. Rolling onto his side, he winced as he sat up, still unable to see anything. "He-hello? Is anyone there?" His deep voice bounced back softly to his ears.

Not wanting to stay put on the cold ground, he pushed himself up onto his feet and wobbled slightly. He gingerly took a step forward and tripped over what appeared to be a very large tree root. "Where am I?" A soft feminine giggle answered his rhetorical question. His head snapped up and despite the fact he couldn't see, he still turned his head trying to figure out the origin of the noise.

"You're here while he's _there_." The voice wasn't familiar, but he was completely uncertain as to what she was talking about.

"I don't understand?"

"You will ... when they find you. I decided that it would be better this way, since you need to realize your folly."

"My what?" He was growing impatient, but that was a normal occurrence for him. He tried to lash out in the direction of the voice, his arms flailing wildly, but hitting nothing. "Goddammit! Where are you?"

The voice giggled once again. "You'll be sad to know that he's already touched him ... in a way that you've only dreamed of ... yet he doesn't know. It's going to be interesting when he finds out what happened." He heard a soft rustling beside him, and lunged in the direction of the noise. However, all he got for his effort was an armful of what felt like bramble. "Teehee ... you should just give up. Naruto's in a different place with someone who's already proclaimed his love for him. You're alone now ... Sasuke-kun. The way you were always meant to be. A-l-o-n-e."

Sasuke's heart began to pound within his chest. Where was Naruto? He knew that he had gone in the opposite direction when the group had split, but Sasuke had heard nothing from any of the others for a while now. At least he had heard nothing since he had been knocked out. "What have you done with Naruto!"

"I told you ... he's _there_ and you're _here_. It's no big deal really for us to do something like that. After all we've been making many a lonely person happy by transplanting them somewhere that they fit in better. I suppose that you were doomed to remain here in Konoha since this is where you still are." Sasuke sat up and sighed. Whoever this voice was obviously delighted in playing games, and by the sound of her voice, she was apparently very young. He wasn't certain as to how to approach the situation to get any more information out of her than he already had gained. Just as he was about to ask another question, she made a tsking noise and he heard another rustle nearby. "Someone's coming ... I have to leave now ... enjoy figuring everything out! Later!"

"Sasuke!" It was Jiraiya. Sasuke turned in the direction of the distant voice and began to yell as loudly as he could to get the old man's attention. After long minutes of yelling and listening, Sasuke finally heard Jiraiya's footsteps approaching him. "Ah, there you are. A villager said they saw a young man by your description milling about near her home. I've been looking for a month for you."

"A month? I've been out for that long?"

Jiraiya stared at Sasuke's closed eyes. They looked as if the lids had been seared onto his cheeks. "Sasuke, your eyes -- what happened?"

Sasuke slowly raised his fingers up to his eyes and carefully ran the tips along the lids. Panic rushed through him as he realized that the sensation of them being glued to his cheeks had not been just that, it had been reality. "I -- don't know ... I can't open them."

"Odd. Come with me." Jiraiya helped the young man up onto his back and then took to the treetops. He needed to get Sasuke back to Konoha as quickly as possible. They needed to hear his story.

-----

Sasuke watched as Naruto happily ate his dinner in the apartment kitchen. He had been debating whether or not to tell him about what had happened early that morning, or if he should just let it slide. He knew that he had taken advantage of him, but he still felt no remorse over his actions. Sasuke had been half asleep when he had started kissing Naruto, and had found it difficult to stop. At least he hadn't tried to actually penetrate him. Of course there was no doubt in his mind that Naruto would have awakened instantly if he had tried that.

"Say, Naruto," Sasuke began quietly as he sat down.

"Hmm?" Naruto's mouth was full of Chinese noodles as he looked up at Sasuke, who smiled at him.

"How did you sleep last night?"

Naruto swallowed and thought carefully about the night before. He remembered leaving the futon and going into Sasuke's bedroom, where he had fallen asleep. When he had awakened in the morning had had felt refreshed and energized. "Excellent. Why?"

Sasuke's stomach knotted when he realized that Naruto didn't remember anything. The fear of losing him was so great that he was beginning to feel nauseated. "Are you sure? Nothing happened while you were sleeping?"

"Sasuke, how would I remember something happening if I was _asleep_?" There was no understanding this guy in either world, Naruto decided. He made no sense no matter what universe you were in.

"Well ... that's not what I meant. I mean, did you have a dream of some sort that was significant or something?"

Okay, Sasuke was acting _very_ weird now. Naruto slowly set down his chopsticks and stared at the man who looked so much like his longtime friend. "Does this have something to do with me getting back home? Is this a riddle of some sort? I don't understand you. I thought that the other you made little sense, but you're just wacked."

Sasuke sighed and gazed down at the table. He was going to have to tell him now, he had walked into it. Either he let Naruto think he was some lunatic or tell him he was. Somehow the latter seemed less severe now. "Naruto I took advantage of you while you were asleep." 

"Huh?"

"I kissed you ... and -- I ... well, I played with," Naruto's eyes widened as Sasuke's voice trailed off into silence. He wasn't sure how to react at first, but then fury filled every inch of his being. With an angry scream, his thick fist slammed into Sasuke's nose. Tears were welling up in his eyes as the full brunt of this man's betrayal settled into his mind. He had promised that he wouldn't cross any lines, and he had broken that promise. He had molested him while he had been asleep! That was lower than anything _his_ Sasuke would have thought to do. 

"What the fuck is wrong with you? You gave me your word! You told me that you realized that I wasn't your Naruto! Why then! Why!" Naruto stood over Sasuke panting, his fists clinched so tightly that he drew blood from his palms.

"I'm sorry ... I was half asleep when I started to snuggle and kiss ... then I -- I couldn't stop. You were responding and I guess I wasn't thinking." He felt like such an ass, but there was nothing he could say or do that would make up for what he had done. "You can sleep in the bedroom tonight. There's a lock on the door, I can't unlock it from the outside."

"Fine. I'm going to bed now ..." Naruto strolled out of the kitchen and Sasuke heard the loud reverberation of the door being slammed behind him.

"I'm sorry ... Naruto." Sasuke pulled his knee up to his chest and buried his head in the crook of his arm. Everything was falling apart ... something was wrong, there was this overwhelming sadness within him that had been there since the previous morning. However, he was at a loss as to why it had settled into his heart, and why it seemed to revolve around Naruto.

-----

"Tsunade-sama! Tsunade-sama!" Shizune came to a screeching halt before the godaime's desk. She panted and took in a few deep breaths before explaining herself. "He found him ..." 

"Found who?" Tsunade sat up straight and set down the scroll which she had been studying, so that she could devote all of her attention to her friend.

"Sa-Sasuke. Jiraiya ... found him. They're at the hospital right now." Tsunade was already out the door by the time Shizune had finished her sentence. She quickly chased after her hokage.

The two arrived in record time at the hospital room in which Sasuke had been placed. "What happened?" Tsunade asked before she was even completely through the door.

"I'm not certain. He's asleep now ... ever since we left the forest he's been in excruciating pain because of his eyes." Tsunade walked up to Sasuke's bed and gazed down at the young ninja. She was stunned by what she saw. Jiraiya continued with his explanation as she studied Sasuke's eyes. "They're gone. Well ... not really gone. The eyeballs are still in the sockets, but from what the doctors can determine, there's severe nerve damage. Even if his lids hadn't been seared together ... he would never be able to see again." 

"His sharingan ... do you think it has something to do with that?" Tsunade glanced over at Jiraiya who was standing near the window and gazing outside.

"I'm not sure. There is that possibility, but we won't know until he can remember more. Right now all he remembers is being knocked out. There's a bit more, but it's very odd." Jiraiya glanced over at Tsunade to see how she took his information, her face was blank as usual. Despite the fact that she was a renowned loser, she had the straight face of a gambler down to an art form.

"Well, I don't care how odd it is ... I want to know."

Jiraiya chuckled humorlessly. "Demanding as usual, eh Tsunade?"

"Just tell me." She growled as she slammed her hands down on the side of Sasuke's bed. With a sheepish look, Tsunade moved her hands off of the bed and tried to act dignified despite her blunder. Jiraiya decided to hold his laughter inside, it was safer that way.

"Well, he told me that this young girl was there ... and she said that he," Jiraiya indicated Sasuke with a lazy pointing of his finger, "is here, and he is there."

"Huh? Jiraiya ... I know it's not in your nature to be sane and serious, but could you do so right now? Please?"

"I'm just telling you what he told me!" Jiraiya crossed his arms against his large chest and turned his back to Tsunade. She always did this to him. Always. It wasn't fair, why couldn't she just realize that he was a jokester all the time except when people's lives were at stake?

Tsunade sat down and sighed loudly to let Jiraiya know that she was trying to be more patient. "Okay, what are you talking about?"

"The other '_he_' would be Naruto. Apparently he's somewhere else, but she didn't tell Sasuke where." Sasuke groaned and both Tsunade and Jiraiya's gazes moved onto him. He was mumbling in his sleep, and it sounded as if he was begging for Naruto.

"I guess we keep looking. Surely he's still alive ... I hope. For all our sakes." Jiraiya knew exactly what she was thinking of, the kyuubi. If somehow it managed to get ahold of Naruto's body and become whole again ... there was no telling what destruction it could bring upon the world.

_Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, TV-Tokyo, & Shounen Jump_


	5. A Bit of Help

_Author's Notes_: Not much happens in this chapter ... but there will be some interesting stuff in the next one!   
And remember that if you're curious, please head over to the nsnroundrobin community on LiveJournal to see the other version of this story written by myself as well as three other authors. 

Warnings: None Chapter Status: COMPLETE

-----

Naruto laid back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. What was Sasuke's problem? Honestly, didn't he even stop and think before he molested him? He sighed and rolled into a ball on his side facing the large windows. It was odd though, he didn't feel dirty the way he would expect to feel after finding out that he had been taken advantage of. No, he felt ... lonely. He really couldn't explain the feeling, but it was definitely loneliness. Naruto shut his eyes and tried to force himself to fall asleep, but it would have been easier for him to perform a jutsu than to sleep at that moment. All he wanted was to erase what had happened. He wanted to go home to _his_ Sasuke. He didn't like this one.

Sasuke gingerly placed the ice pack on his now swollen nose. "Damn. Naruto, you always did know how to react to things." With a heavy sigh, he plopped down onto the futon and stared at the black television screen. Why had he allowed himself to touch Naruto in that way? He _knew_ that hadn't been his lover, he had known that. So why? Why did he break the trust which had been so hard to create between the two of them? "The hell if I know." He clicked on the television and settled back against the cushioning of the futon.

-----

Tsunade's head was slumped down onto her desk which was littered with various medical scrolls and tomes. "Yo." Kakashi's deep voice sounding without warning caused Tsunade to jump out of her seat and swing her arm with vicious intent toward his face. "Sorry, Hokage-sama. I didn't know you were sleeping. My apologies." Tsunade sighed impatiently as he bowed deeply.

"It's fine. I've been up all night trying to figure out what to do about Sasuke's eyes. There's nothing I can find ... nothing. If I _knew_ exactly how he lost his eyes, then maybe. But I don't -- so we're stuck." Kakashi picked up one of the scrolls which had rolled onto the floor. He skimmed over it noting that it mentioned something about an old legend. Tsunade glanced up at Kakashi and grinned. "You're wondering why I was even bothering with that?"

"Well ... it does seem a bit of a stretch. A curse placed on a lover ... Hokage-sama, you can't really believe this, can you?"

Tsunade took the scroll from Kakashi's outstretched hand and laid it before her. "At this point, I think I would believe almost anything. There's no trace of Naruto ... not one. Kakashi, Sasuke's eyes have been taken from him, but he doesn't remember that happening. There's something strange going on, and I have no idea where to start -- other than the forest. I have men out there now looking, but what if something happens to them as well?" She leaned back in her seat and began to rub her temples as a strong headache took root in her head. "I told the men to make sure that they were always with someone else at all times ... but that doesn't really protect them. Jiraiya said that as soon as Sasuke is feeling a bit better the two of them will head out to the woods and look. So we sit and wait until then."

"Hmm ... waiting is one of the hardest things to do. I think I'll give Sasuke a visit." Kakashi casually walked out of the hokage's office and made his way to Sasuke's small apartment.

Sasuke lay on his back, wishing that he still had his eyes. If he had his eyes, then it would be easy for him to go and find Naruto, but because he didn't have them, he was stuck in his bed. He hated being waited on, but there was no way for him to do anything for himself yet. He may possess ninja skills, but that didn't help when you were already a poor cook. Sasuke sighed. He missed Naruto, he missed his happiness and the way he could always cheer him up. "I wish I had told you how I felt ..."

"How do you feel?" Sasuke screamed and fell out of his bed at the sound of Kakashi's voice. "What's wrong? Didn't you hear me come in?"

"What do you think?" Sasuke stumbled a bit until he found the edge of the bed, he then lifted himself up. "What do you want?" Why was Kakashi-sensei there? That was probably the last person, no Jiraiya was the last person he wanted to see. That didn't excuse his instructor from being sneaky and scaring him senseless. 

"You could sound a bit nicer to your guest."

"A guest is someone who is invited ... I don't recall asking you in." 

"Grumpy as always." Kakashi sat on the edge of the bed, and watched as Sasuke clumsily navigated his way over to the faucet to get a drink of water. "I can train you ... to do things without your sight."

Sasuke stood with the glass under the running faucet for a few moments. Kakashi could help him. He knew that. There was no one else who understood him as well as his old instructor. "When do we start?"

The fabric across Kakashi's face moved slightly as a bright smile formed. "How about tomorrow morning? I'll come for you bright and early." Sasuke could feel the happiness spreading throughout his body. He was going to be able to help Naruto. This was going to work.

-----

By the time the weekend arrived, Naruto's anger had eased just a bit; however, he still was not talking to Sasuke. Breakfast was eaten in silence, and on their bus ride to an old friend of Sakura's mother neither one spoke a word. Sasuke hoped that she could help them, since she was a seer of sorts. Possibly she could figure out why all of this had happened in the first place, and just where _his_ Naruto had gone to.

Satou Akari's home was a traditional Japanese style house crammed between two high-rise buildings. Naruto didn't see how some woman who was a, whatever it was that Sasuke had called her, could help him. He scooted his feet as he followed Sasuke into the house. They were greeted kindly and led into a room which had a small platform in the center of it. The platform itself was covered with tatami mats and there was a tea service already laid out in the center of the platform. "I made you boys tea. I thought it might ease your troubles a bit."

Naruto peered at Akari through narrowed eyes. There was something familiar about her, but he wasn't sure what it was. "So, Akari-baa-san, we don't mean to be a bother, but may we ask for your advice or your help if we are so humble as to receive it?1"

Akari chuckled deep within her throat. She was well into her eighties, but her skin was still smooth with only a few tight wrinkles around her sparkling deep brown eyes. "No need to be so formal, Sasuke-kun. I want to help you ... when Sakura-chan's mother called me, I knew that I would at least be able to figure out a few things for the both of you ..."

"You **_told_** Sakura-chan? After you told me not to say anything to her!" Naruto glared at Sasuke, who shrugged.

"I had to ... earlier it was more for the sake of the party which we were going to -- not _her_. And I honestly don't understand your obsession with her. Are you in love with her?" Naruto stared into Sasuke's black eyes. He had never been asked point blank about how he felt for Sakura, and now all he could was open and shut his mouth like a fish. "Akari-baa-san, please ... can you tell me what happened? This is not the Naruto I grew up with, nor the one I fell in love with either."

"Hmm ... I see." Akari held out a boney hand to Naruto. "Please, place your hand in mine. I will see what you know."

Naruto stared down at the hand. What did she mean by that? There was no real way she could read his mind, was there? He sighed and after a sharp elbow from Sasuke, put his much larger hand in the old woman's. "I don't see--"

"Shh ..." Akari closed her eyes and her breathing slowed greatly. In fact, it almost seemed as if she were dead. She sat like that for several minutes, the only sign that she was still living was the occasional twitching behind her eyelids. Finally she slowly opened her eyes and focused them on Naruto. "Hmm ... I see. This is very complicated, it appears that he is from another reality entirely. This is not where he should be."

"Gee ... I could have told you that." Naruto yanked his hand away and rolled his eyes. Why were they there if all she was going to do was repeat what he had been telling Sasuke the entire time?

"Naruto ..." Sasuke whispered angrily. He knew that Naruto could be rude, but this was just ridiculous.

Akari laughed lightly. "It's alright ... don't worry. My nephew has a similar attitude. Here, hand me your hand, Sasuke-kun." Sasuke eagerly placed his hand into that of the old lady's. He wasn't certain why she needed to read his mind as well, it wasn't as if he had forgotten anything. After a few moments, Akari yanked her hand away and screamed.

"Akari-baa-san?" 

"Baa-chan?" Both Naruto and Sasuke inched closer to Akari who was clutching her head in both hands, and still screaming. "Are you alright?" Her response was a shake of her head. She suddenly stopped screaming at the sound of Naruto's voice, but she began shaking all over. "Sasuke, what --"

"I'm not sure." Sasuke gazed down at the hand which he had lent her. There wasn't anything that he could remember that would have caused her to react in such a manner. So did that mean there was something which he had forgotten?

"Baa-chan?" Naruto was shaking Akari trying to get her to focus. She finally laid glazed eyes upon him and began to cry. She raised her quivering hands up to his face and touched him tenderly.

"You poor dear ... that which you carry is a heavy burden. I do not envy your journey."

"Huh?" Naruto stared back at the old lady wondering what she was talking about. A journey? To where? Home, to Konoha? He began to hope that was what she was talking about.

"Sasuke-kun ... the two of you must journey to Hokkaido. Just outside of Sapporo, you will find my son. He will be able to aid you." Sasuke nodded in agreement as Naruto continued to stare at the old lady.

"Come on Naruto." Sasuke helped his friend up and the two of them bowed in thanks and left Akari. "So, we have to head north." He glanced over at Naruto who was staring down at his hands. "What's wrong?" 

Naruto turned large innocent eyes to Sasuke. "Why did she do that? What did she see when she read your memories?"

"I -- I honestly don't know. It puzzled me as well. Maybe her son can help us." Sasuke wanted so badly to wrap his arms around Naruto, but restrained himself. After what had happened earlier that week, he didn't want a repeat performance of the punch.

-----

"Come on, Sasuke-kun ... I know you can do better than that!" Kakashi tossed another ball aimed at Sasuke's chest. He tried to dodge, but it hit him anyway. It had been this way all morning long. He had tried so hard to be able to dodge what was being thrown, but he failed every time, by small and large margins. Sasuke heard Kakashi's loud sigh and his footfalls as he approached him. "Look, if you can't dodge these rubber balls, how are you going to survive alone? Tsunade-sama has said that she can't find a cure for you eyes. You have to think that you will be like this for at least an extended length of time. I want to know that you will be able to take care of yourself ... so please, stop relying so much on your eyes. You're a ninja. I know you can do this!"

"I can't help it! I've tried concentrating, but it's as if I relied so much on my sharingan that there's no way I can do this without it." Sasuke tilted his head down and if he had use of his eyes he would have glared at the dirt beneath his feet. He felt Kakashi's strong hand rest on his shoulder.

"Look, if Naruto were here ... and doing better than you, what would you do?" 

Sasuke's head slowly rose back up to an even level, and he smirked. "I'd beat him no matter what."

"Then imagine that -- you _have_ to be able to do this. For yourself and for Naruto." The practice of sensing objects continued well into the evening. Finally after hours of practice, Sasuke was able to dodge almost every ball which was thrown at him. He was only getting hit with one out of every ten throws, which to Kakashi was a marked improvement upon being hit with every one of the balls. Sasuke was growing closer to being able to look for Naruto. That was his goal, and he would try his best to not forget it while he was training. That thought was what had finally forced him to concentrate enough to be able to sense the small objects.

Sasuke lay in his bed that night, clutching the last thing which Naruto had given him. It was a stuffed animal which he had won at a festival. He hadn't wanted it, so Sasuke said that he could take it off of his hands. Sakura had snickered at him and Naruto had been confused, but he had still taken the toy with a grumpy 'thank you.' It was funny how he had felt as if he had all the time in the world with Naruto, that it would be alright for him to delay saying those words to him. Of course things didn't turn out that way. Sasuke regretted deeply that he hadn't told Naruto that he loved him. He rolled over and punched his pillow. "I'll bring you back home, Naruto ... and then -- I'll tell you how I feel. I promise."

-----

"Jiraiya ... anything?" Tsunade sat behind her desk and gazed with worried eyes at her old teammate who was leaning against the edge of the desk.

"No. It's as if Naruto vanished into thin air. And we can't find any trace of that girl which Sasuke claims to have seen. I don't know what more we can do." Jiraiya sighed and began to pick at his fingernails. He had exhausted every source of information he had, but there was no trace of Naruto.

"Maybe I need to go to that forest. Tomorrow at first light we leave. Meet me here then." Jiraiya stood and bowed. Tsunade watched as he left, she sincerely hoped that maybe a pair of fresh eyes would be able to catch something that no one had been able to yet.

-----

"Sapporo's kind of far from Tokyo by train. I think we should fly there." Naruto's eyes grew large as Sasuke made his suggestion.

"F-f-f-fly? Sasuke ... we're not birds! How the hell do we fly!" Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle at Naruto's reaction. He gently took Naruto's hand and led him down to the bus stop. "Where are we going?"

"I'm going to show you what I'm talking about. Plus this way we can buy our tickets." The two boarded the bus the road in silence to the airport. Sasuke escorted Naruto to the observation deck and watched in extreme amusement as Naruto's jaw dropped.

"T-t-those? That's what you fly in? NO! Absolutely not -- you will never get me to ride in one of those! The bus was one thing ... **_that_** is a completely different story! I will not ever!" Naruto continued on until everyone on the observation deck was looking at the two boys. Sasuke got a little embarrassed and dragged Naruto away from the crowd.

"It's the only way."

"No!" Naruto crossed his arms and stuck his chin into the air in a defiant stance. Sasuke rolled his eyes. It was no surprise to Naruto when he found himself quivering in the seat of the plane the next day. "You tricked me!" He hissed after Sasuke had settled himself.

"I did not."

"Yes you did! You said you were going to the bathroom when you were going to buy the tickets ... weren't you?" Naruto was glaring at Sasuke, who was just smiling.

"Maybe ... but I did not trick you to get onto the plane. I told you we were leaving, and you just assumed that we were taking the train."

"I hate you." Sasuke couldn't help but laugh. This was going to be very interesting.

----------------- 1 I just wanted to point out because some don't know, but calling someone that you don't know "Obaa-san/chan" is not rude in Japan (just don't say it to anyone under 45 ... or you'll find yourself with a slap to the face). It's the equivalent of Ma'am in English (even though it literally means _Grandmother_). Also, if Sasuke were speaking in Japanese he would be using the honorific form, which is extremely polite and humble, it's usually reserved for your boss or your elders. -- which explains the phrase of humility ... note that Sasuke in the series speaks very informally and at some times rudely. (and if that's not a hint to everyone ... I don't know what is XD)

_Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, TV-Tokyo, & Shounen Jump_


	6. Memories

_Author's Notes_: One more time pimping the LJ community this story originated from. :) If you want to read the _other_ version of this story which is being written by myself and four other authors, please go to LiveJournal and search for nsnroundrobin. This was started from the fourth round robin.  
Enjoy this chapter ... a bit of important things happens in this chapter. (The next chapter will be done in two weeks. I'm alternating stories so everything will be updated regularly, and now that I'm on Summer break, it'll be easier.)

Warnings: Lime scene   
Chapter Status: COMPLETE

-----

"Naruto ..." Sasuke gently poked at the young man sitting beside him. At some point during the flight, he had apparently passed out from the overwhelming experience. Sasuke still couldn't understand why he had become so frantic about being on the plane. "Naruto!" The one in question finally blinked his eyes slowly open and turned his head listlessly in the other's direction.

"Wha'?" A small bit of spittle gained Sasuke's attention as it slowly slid down Naruto's chin. He wanted to laugh, cry, and wipe it away with his finger all at once. In these rare moments, he reminded him so much of _his_ Naruto that it was both a blessing and a curse. "Saaasukeee ... why are you looking at me like that?" There was a sleepy drawl present, and Naruto's eyes were sparkling as he gazed at him. Was this his real feelings, or just because he was sleepy? Whichever it was, Sasuke's heart was starting to hurt.

"Naruto, wake up. We need to get off the plane." Naruto's head snapped up and there was a look of embarrassment in his bright blue eyes. He jumped to his feet and was grabbing for his carryon in the overhead compartment in one swift movement. Sasuke sighed.

The two of them walked in silence to the exterior of the airport to catch a cab. "You could have woken me up sooner. Did I drool?"

Sasuke hid his grin behind an aggravated glare. "Yeah. All over me."

"Sorry." The tension had still not eased between the two of them. In fact, it seemed to have grown since Naruto had been tricked into boarding the plane. Sasuke glanced over at the blonde and found himself staring much longer than was necessary. He was gazing out the window, his chin resting in his palm. There was a sad far-off look on his face that tore at Sasuke's heart. Suddenly he knew what he needed to do. He needed to get Naruto back home by any means necessary. "Sasuke?" 

Worried that he had been caught staring, Sasuke whipped his head forward and stared at the back of the headrest. "What?" He could see Naruto out of the corner of his eye, he was staring down at his hands which were clinched in his lap.

"I wanna go home, but ... I'm worried about you. I know that we've only been together for a few weeks, but you're _still_ Sasuke any way I look at it. Which means, that I care about you as a friend -- whether I know _you_ or not. So ... promise me you'll be okay." He never raised his face to Sasuke's, but his words seemed to wrap themselves around his heart and hold it tenderly. Sasuke found himself wanting to hold onto Naruto for dear life. That same feeling of loss hit him so hard at that moment, that tears slowly started to slide out of his eyes.

Naruto was caught off guard by Sasuke's reaction to his words. He felt a bit helpless as far as how to comfort the other man. "It's okay, Naruto. I'll be fine. I just have to rid myself of this ache in my heart." He hadn't meant to say so much, but there was no way to stop the words from spilling forth. Sasuke failed to see the look of anguish quickly flash across Naruto's face.

"I -- I didn't mean to --" 

"Boys, is this the house?" They both exchanged confused glances and looked around. They were on a narrow street which was lined with tall wooden fences shielding the houses within from view. They had failed to pay attention on the ride, and weren't certain if they were at the right house or not. While Sasuke questioned the driver, Naruto stepped out and looked at the name-plaque on the fence.

"Oro-chi-ma ... ru. Orochimaru?" His mind began to reel from the realization that they were going to ask for help from one who was an enemy in his world. Naruto paced back and forth worriedly, waiting for Sasuke to finish talking to the cab driver. "Sasuke! Hurry up!"

Sasuke glared at Naruto over the roof of the cab, and then apologized softly while he paid. "Naruto, that was rather ru--"

"Look!" He pointed a shaky finger at the name, and his expression puzzled Sasuke.

Not wanting to argue any more with Naruto, Sasuke moved closer to read the kanji on the plaque. "I think it reads Orochimaru. What about it? It's an odd name ... but I wouldn't say that it calls for the reaction which you're giving it."

The fierce look upon Naruto's face nearly made Sasuke explode with the desire to laugh. He looked so appalled by his nonchalant attitude toward the name. "Do you **_know_** who that is?"

"No. I've never met him before in my life. I believe that Akari-baa-san said that he was her son." Naruto grabbed onto Sasuke's shoulders and began to shake him so violently that he feared his head would snap off his neck.

"Don't you realize _he's_ the one that wanted to squash Konoha ... our home! And -- and he's the one ... that took you -- away from me." Sasuke watched as Naruto's shoulders began to shake slightly with ill suppressed anger. Naruto's hands dropped away from him and he turned away, not wanting the tears which were welling in his eyes to be seen.

"N -- Naruto, are you --"

Tears began to stream down his face as all the hellish memories flashed through his mind. All of the pain, anger, and sadness which he experienced trying to get his best friend back home safely. It was too much for him, the memories were still too fresh and raw. "No! I'm not."

"Would you like to talk?"

"No. Let's go in there ... but be cautious." Sasuke hesitated for a moment as Naruto began to enter the gate. He wondered what it was that he had been speaking of, had his other self been kidnapped? Surely if this person was as evil as Naruto said he was, then he never would have willingly gone to Orochimaru, would he? 

Naruto pushed the small button next to the door and waited with his arms crossed. The door opened just as Sasuke walked up to stand next to him. The man who answered the door only vaguely resembled the Orochimaru which Naruto had known back in Konoha. He was still tall and his hair still hung down in a stringy fashion, but his eyes were a golden green and kind. He had some color in his skin, and the snakelike features were all gone.

Sasuke was the first to greet Orochimaru, and he nudged Naruto hard with his elbow to get him to also say his greetings. "It's a pleasure to meet both of you ... please come in." The two boys entered and walked into the living room. "I apologize for the messy state of my house. My dog enjoys romping through all the rooms." Naruto stared at the spotless room, there was not one speck of dirt anywhere, and nothing seemed to be out of place. "My mother called me shortly after she spoke with the two of you." He smiled and his eyes came to rest on Naruto. "Before we begin would either of you like something to eat or drink?"

"I'm fine, how about you, Naruto?"

"I just want to hear what he has to say." Naruto's eyes were locked with Orochimaru, who began to laugh at the boy's serious expression.

"You must be Naruto."

Naruto watched with annoyance, as Orochimaru pulled an armchair up to the small coffee table. He was still staring at him, and Naruto was really beginning to feel uncomfortable. "Yeah, so ..."

"Your different from him."

"Heh?" Naruto looked over at Sasuke, trying to figure out what was so different about him. Weren't they both the same age, and human? He was a little confused. He would understand it if his chakra was still present, but since it wasn't, he couldn't figure out what was so different about the two of them. 

"You're missing something ... an integral part of your being. Your chakra has diminished to normal levels, no?" Naruto's eyes widened as he moved to stare at Orochimaru. How did he know about that? "I know about your world ... because I was there once before, at least part of me was."

Naruto's face twisted in confusion. "I don't get it."

Orochimaru's laugh sent shivers up both boys' spines. He may look a little different, but some things seemed to have not changed. "What I mean to say, is that my other-self was a horrible person ... and I felt that even here. I knew what he was doing, and what he planned to do to your world. You have the same aura as the people there."

"Oh." 

"You were a ninja? An important one, if I'm not mistaken ... and you went up against my other-self, right?" Naruto's head bobbed up and down as he listened. It seemed as if maybe this guy might be of some help after all. "And you want to get back there ... to your -- family?"

"Um ... I don't have any family. I want to go back to my friends." Naruto began to stare down at the carpet suddenly feeling very homesick. He didn't want to just see his friends, he wanted to see Sasuke.

"But your friends are your family. Correct?"

"Yeah." 

"Especially one ... the other-self of the one sitting next to you." Naruto's heart began to pound so hard within his chest that he was certain Sasuke could hear it. He hadn't really thought about just how close he was to Sasuke until now. Yes he had risked his own life to bring him back, but that was because of many different reasons, one of which was because he had promised to Sakura that he'd bring Sasuke back. However, he had not stopped once to fully realize what an important person Sasuke was to him. "Naruto-kun ... are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Keep going ..." 

"I was actually through with you ... if I say anymore, then how will you write your own story?" Naruto slouched back against the couch and jutted his bottom lip out. Why was it that everyone enjoyed only giving him half the story? How was all that stuff Orochimaru had said, supposed to help him anyway? "I'm going to help you, Naruto-kun ... but you must be patient. There is one who needs more help than you." As he spoke, his eyes drifted over to rest on Sasuke, who's heart began to beat faster with each passing second. What was it that he needed help with? Naruto? But that made no sense, surely if this Naruto was here, then his should be in the other world, right? "I can see what you're thinking ... it's written all over your face."

"Where is my Naruto?" 

"Naruto-kun, could you excuse us for a few moments. I need to speak with Sasuke-kun in private." Naruto nodded and quietly left the room. "Sasuke-kun, I cannot tell you what happened to your Naruto. However, I can help you remember."

"Remember? Are you saying that I've forgotten something? Th-that's what your mother said, but I don't feel as if anything is missing from my memory. And if it has to do with Naruto ... then, I don't see how I could have forgotten!" Sasuke rose to his feet as he spoke, slowly becoming more and more incensed with the man before him. Why was he saying things like this to him? There was no way in hell he had forgotten Naruto. Absolutely no way!

"It's not that you have forgotten in the normal sense, but that you have pushed it away. Deleted it from your mind." Sasuke slowly sat once more and stared at Orochimaru, confused beyond words. "I want you to close your eyes, Sasuke-kun. And think back to the day which you and Naruto-kun moved in together."

"How did you kno--"

"Quiet, just close your eyes." Sasuke reluctantly closed his eyes and thought back to that happy day.

-----

"Hey, Sasuke! Come and help me with this box!" Naruto was trying to pull a box which was nearly as big as he was out of the moving van. Sasuke grinned as he ran over to his boyfriend, and took hold of one side of the box.

"What the hell's in here?" Naruto grinned sheepishly at Sasuke's question.

"My comic collection." Sasuke groaned and laughed lightly at his lover's childish loves. They were almost finished moving all of their stuff into the small apartment which they had found just the previous week. Everything felt so wonderful and neither one wanted the feeling to end.

"Saaasukee!" Without warning, Sasuke found himself lying on his back with Naruto hovering over top of him. "That was the last box." His grin was mischievous and his bright blue eyes shined down at him.

"Yeah, I know ..." Slowly, Sasuke wrapped his hand around the slender neck of his lover, and pulled his face down close to his. "Naruto ..." He gently pressed his lips in various spots around Naruto's mouth, teasing him by not giving him the satisfaction of a true kiss.

"Yeah?" Naruto's warm breath was coming in short pants against Sasuke's neck, and his hand was starting to wander ever lower on his body. 

"Aren't we supposed to meet Sakura and the others for lunch?" Sasuke's own hand began to slide down Naruto's pants and cup his bottom.

"So ... I want you. We'll just be late." With a swift jerk, Sasuke was freed of his pants and soon found himself not caring whether they were late or not. He groaned out his lover's name as a warm mouth began to tease him relentlessly. Sasuke reached over onto the night stand and fumbled around trying to reach the lubricant.

"Here," was all he was able to pant out as Naruto's tongue flicked against his sensitive skin.

"Do you want me to finish, or move forward?"

"Forward ..."

Sasuke's thoughts drifted reluctantly to the lunch that afternoon at Sakura's house. Her family had invited all of her friends over for a special announcement of some sort. Sasuke had thought that it had something to do with her engagement to Lee, but wasn't certain of it. Naruto's head rested against his shoulder as the bus made it's way through the busy streets of Tokyo. He was obviously a little tired from their playing; Sasuke had laughed when Naruto yelled at him for still being wide awake and able to function properly.

The bus jerked to a stop and the boys walked down the street, their hands casually touching. They could already hear the bustling sounds coming from Sakura's house, it seemed that they were the last two to arrive. The party moved on and as it was, Sasuke had been correct. Sakura and Lee were announcing the date of their wedding. The party was relatively uneventful, so Sasuke allowed his mind to drift onto the events which followed the party.

Strangely, the bus broke down several stops away from their stop. "Looks like we're walking ... I don't want to wait for the next bus." Sasuke could remember the warm look in Naruto's eyes as they began their walk home. "Sasuke ... I'm happy that you asked me to move in with you."

"Me too ... I'm glad you said yes." Their fingers twined together lovingly as they inched closer together. As they were walking into the neighborhood where their apartment was located, a ball bounced out into the nearby road. The two men froze as a young boy chased after it, unaware of the oncoming traffic. Naruto's hand ripped away from Sasuke's as he ran after the boy. His voice sounded far off as he called out to the child, but was not heard by him. Sasuke's feet felt as if they had been cemented to the sidewalk. He stood helplessly as a car came flying around the turn and locked its brakes to keep from hitting the boy and Naruto. 

The boy was shoved out of the path of the car by Naruto, but he was not so lucky. His head cracked on the pavement when it hit, and blood began to slowly seep out of the wound. Sasuke finally found his ability to move and was running in the direction of the limp body. He began to scream so loudly that his ears started to ring from the noise. "Naruto! Naruto!"

-----

Sasuke doubled over as he screamed. His stomach felt as if it were trying to make its way out through his throat. Naruto ran into the living room as soon as he had heard the anguished cry. He watched the man who was his friend in Konoha crumble to the floor coughing and gagging while he cried his heart out. "What's wrong with him!"

"He remembered ... it'll be a while until he's regained control of his emotions, and I think it would be best if you weren't here while he's trying to calm himself." Orochimaru's eyes were overly bright as if he himself might start crying soon. Not knowing what else to do, Naruto turned and walked outside.

-----

Sasuke froze in the middle of the street. His heart felt as if someone had just ripped it from his chest. "Sasuke? What's wrong?" Kakashi rested a comforting hand on the younger man's shoulder. Sasuke laughed quietly, trying to hide the pain. 

"I'm fine. It's just ... for a second there -- I thought that I would never see Naruto again." It had been several months since Sasuke had been found, and he was able to do many things for himself, yet he was still unable to look for Naruto. Not that it mattered much, because there was still no sign of him. It was as if he had vanished. The Hokage had sent out members of Anbu to hunt for him, but all reports came back negative. It was enough to cause Sasuke to almost give up hope.

"Naruto's fine. You know why I know that?"

"Because it's Naruto." Sasuke couldn't hide his grin. Naruto was one of those people that was difficult to catch and nearly impossible to completely defeat. "Are you going with the Anbu team to look today?"

"Yeah. Is it okay? I mean, since you won't be going with me." Kakashi was watching his former student's expression very carefully. He knew that Naruto's absence was wearing on him, and that made him want to find the fox-boy even more. Sasuke didn't answer the softly spoken question, he instead started walking once again. He couldn't explain why he still felt a great loss, or why tears were trying to fall from his eyes. He raised a hand up to the silk scarf which covered his unseeing eyes. It's purpose was solely for covering up the small scars which bound his eyelids to his cheeks. If Sasuke ever met up with the person who did this to him, there would be blood shed. "Hmm ... well, I guess I won't ask about Naruto again." 

Sasuke laughed quietly as his teacher's voice reached his ears. "It's okay. I don't mind ... you just better take me next time."

"If I find anything -- you'll be the first to know."

-----

"Oh no! This could be bad ... nee-chan! Nee-chan!" _Nee-chan_ was reclining on a high branch, twirling a leaf between her fingers. She looked bored and didn't move when her younger sister came dashing up the side of the tree to her. "He's remembered!"

"Who?" Her voice even sounded as if she didn't much care about the news, the leaf in her hand seemed more interesting to her.

"Sasuke! He -- he remembered _his_ Naruto! What should we do?" The elder sister began to laugh lightly, in the same manner as she always did.

"Well, we'll just have to complicate things. I didn't expect it to move this fast ... I thought surely he would have tried to force the other Naruto into remembering."

"What are your orders?" The younger sister watched eagerly as her elder sat up and tossed the leaf down.

"Like I said -- complicate things." Her smile was slick and mischievous as she gazed at the leaf slowly floating down to the ground. "Naruto will never know what hit him."

_Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, TV-Tokyo, & Shounen Jump_


	7. That Which Was Left Behind

_Author's Notes_: As usual, I must state that this story was started within the LiveJournal community, nsnroundrobin. Please go there and read the stories. They're very good and since they have multiple authors, very interesting! This particular story was for the _horror_ themed RR. I wrote the first chapter of it, and am I up again to write the sixth (I think) chapter.  
This chapter introduces angst into the plot line, as well as a new direction for the story. I hope everyone enjoys it! 

Warnings: Angst, Very Minor Spoilage (c295+)   
Chapter Status: COMPLETE

-----

Sasuke fell backwards onto the cool grass. He knew that if his eyes still worked, that the sky above him would be an impossible blue, the same blue as Naruto's eyes. There had been no word for several days from Kakashi and his small troop of Anbu soldiers. He just wanted to hear something, to hear anything so that his heart and mind could finally come to terms. He thought back to when he was with Orochimaru, and how he had treated Naruto. There were times now that he wished with all his heart that Naruto had killed him, instead of saving him. It would have been easier than living with this uncertainty.

A soft giggle sounded nearby and Sasuke sat up, waiting to hear another sound, but nothing followed the laugh. "Hello?" There was a soft rustling, then small hands rested on his shoulders.

"Sassssuke ... he's found someone to replace you." It was a young girl's voice, but not the same as the one he had heard that day in the woods.

"What do you want? Are you playing a game with me?" He ground his teeth together, trying to will his sight back.

The girl laughed as if what he said was the funniest thing she had ever heard. "A game? _Us_? No never." Sasuke turned to try and catch her, but he only grabbed at air. "Tsk tsk. You must know that Naruto is happier where he is. I believe that Nee-san told you so."

"Where is he?"

"Now, now. I can't answer unless you ask nicely." Sasuke slowly pushed himself to his feet and stood perfectly still, trying to place the girl's position. This obviously had to be one of the village kids joking with him. That was the only explanation. "I'll give you one hint. That's all. Listen to what your heart tells you ... not your mind." There were soft footfalls, and Sasuke dove after the sound; however, he again, came up empty handed, and had managed to get a nasty grass burn on his palms for his effort.

"Dammit!"

"Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke buried his face into the grass as he heard his name roll off his old teammate's tongue. "Everything okay?"

"Everything's fine, Sakura." He could tell that she was crouched down next to him, probably even had that stupid look of worry on her face. How many times had he seen that expression? For the first time, he was happy he couldn't see anything.

"Sasuke-kun, Kakashi-sensei is back. I just thought I'd let you know." Sasuke leapt to his feet and took off in a dead run back to the main part of Konoha. Sakura blinked a few times, as she watched her long time friend leave in a blur. "He didn't find anything ... you should have waited for me to say so." She slowly began to follow after Sasuke, but a soft noise caused her to pause. She turned her sharp green eyes toward the clearing and scanned it. A slow smirk started to form on her round face as she discovered the spy's whereabouts. In one swift movement, Sakura dove into the brush and had the small girl by the ankle.

"Ow! Lemme go! Please! Nee-san will be mad!" The girl looked like she was around five years of age, and had wheat blonde hair. Sakura was puzzled by the clothes the girl wore. It was an elaborate kimono, which was not something one would wear while walking around through a forest.

"What are you doing here in the woods?" The young girl squirmed a bit, then turned to face Sakura, whose jaw dropped upon seeing the young girl's face. "You're -- you look like ... but that's impossible." 

"What? I saw a butterfly and followed it in here ... if you'll let me go I have to find Nee-san." Sakura wasn't certain what she should do. If she trusted the girl and let her go, would she regret it later? On the other hand, if she dragged the girl to Tsunade-sama, and there was nothing suspicious about the girl, what would they tell her sister? "Please, let me go."

"I -- I will on one condition. Answer me why you look so much like the Hokage." The young girl raised a perfectly formed blonde eyebrow. Obviously she didn't understand the question, which worried Sakura. 

"I do? Wow. Nee-san will think that's funny. Now can I go?"

"You didn't answer the question. I think you should come with me." Sakura stood and tugged at the girl's wrist, but she pulled back, trying to wrestle her arm free.

"No! I have to go back to Nee-san!" Sakura glared at the little girl, she was now convinced that something wasn't right.

"I'm sorry, but your '_Nee-san_' will just have to wait. There's someone else you need to speak with right now." The girl was scooped up into Sakura's strong arms, and carried back to Tsunade. 

-----

Naruto paced outside of Orochimaru's home waiting for Sasuke's anguished screams to stop. He wasn't certain what had happened or what he had remembered, but with each passing minute the urge to run inside and comfort Sasuke was growing steadily stronger. Naruto knew that he cared deeply for the other boy, and that it didn't matter what world they were in, Sasuke was Sasuke. In truth, he really just wanted to know what was wrong at that moment. It was horribly odd that Orochimaru had asked him to step outside and to wait until he was asked to come back in. There was definitely something odd happening.

"Sasuke-kun? Are you calming down now?" Sasuke pushed at Orochimaru, wanting to not be touched. Why had that happened? How could he have forgotten that Naruto had died? It wasn't possible! A new wave of sobs racked his lean body, and he could feel his stomach starting to rebel. He ran in the direction of the bathroom and made it just in time. "Oh my ..." Orochimaru felt at a loss. He had no idea that he was going to react in a manner such as this. "Naruto!"

At the sound of his name, Naruto darted back inside the house, his shoes screeching as he came to an abrupt halt in the living room. "What? Where's Sasuke?"

"In the bathroom. I need you to sit down." 

"O-okay." The look upon Orochimaru's face concerned Naruto. It was the type of look one got before hearing very bad news, it seemed as if he were about to get some answers as to what was going on.

"Sasuke-kun is going through somewhat of a ... shock. He just found out that the Naruto -- _his_ Naruto -- died the day before you arrived here." Naruto's eyes quickly dropped to the floor, his emotions feeling a bit confused and jumbled. He was a replacement, so to speak. The one clear thought that flitted through his mind was, poor Sasuke. "I need to tell you something ..."

Naruto raised his eyes back up. "What?"

"It's about you, and why you're here." Orochimaru stood and began to pace the room slowly, trying to put into words the visions which he had seen. "I know you're here to help Sasuke-kun. That one is perfectly clear. The one thing I'm trying to put into focus is this sense of mischief. It's as if you're being helped, but not at the same time ... and there is something about messing up your world." 

"Huh?" Naruto leaned back against the soft cushions trying to make sense of what he was being told. Not that his brain was fully understanding much, it hadn't since he had arrived. 

"You have the memories of this Sasuke's Naruto. If I were you I would use those to help ease his pain ..." Orochimaru paused and rubbed his temple with two fingers. Why was it so hard to focus on this vision? "Two girls, blonde hair ... they -- they need to fix something that went wrong. No, that went badly for them. I -- you need to get back to Konoha, but I -- no ... you need to put the worlds back together." Naruto suddenly felt as if his mind had split in two. '_Put the worlds back together?_' What the hell did that mean?

"Um, old man ... I don't quite understand what you're trying to say. Don't I need to just go back home?"

Orochimaru thought for a moment on what Naruto had said before he answered. "Yes, but Sasuke must go too ... at least that's what I feel."

"What will happen to _my_ Sasuke?" Fear was rising quickly within him, and he wasn't sure why. If going back meant something was going to happen to his Sasuke, then he'd stay here. Too much had already happened to his best friend, he wasn't going to be the bringer of more bad luck. 

"Relax ... I feel that everything will be alright. Do not fret over your old friend."

"Easy for you to say." Naruto made a snorting noise and glared at the coffee table. "So, how am I supposed to get back home?"

"I will take you to a good friend of mine ... he will help."

Naruto chuckled softly. "Probably is Kabuto ..."

"You know him?" 

"I'm right? You're kidding ... right?"

"I do know a Kabuto, a very close friend of mine ... but no this is not the one of whom I speak. I'm talking about Suna Gaara.(1)" Naruto's face lit up at the sound of his friend, the Kazekage. "I see you know him as well. Probably from your world -- right?" 

"Yeah! He's my friend!"

"Excellent. As soon as Sasuke-kun can travel I'll take both of you there."

-----

Sakura walked into Tsunade's office with the small girl tucked in her arms. The Hokage had been waiting for the two of them, along with Sasuke and Kakashi. "This is the girl." The girl wiggled trying to get out of Sakura's strong grasp, but failed. 

"You're right, she does look like me." Tsunade bent down to look into a face which was remarkably familiar. "What's your name?"

"I -- I ... don't have one." Her voice trailed off as she answered, and her gaze fell to the floor. If she got free of these people, she'd never hear the end of it from Nee-san.

Sasuke's ears perked up at the sound of the young girl's voice. "That's her! That's the voice ... the one that told me about Naruto!" Kakashi laid a gentle hand on his shoulder in a silent request for him to calm himself a bit. "I'm fine, Kakashi. But that is the girl."

"Sasuke! I -- I ... I'm sorry." The young girl's large gray-green eyes filled with tears as she gazed at the man for whom the girl she called sister had caused so much trouble.

Tsunade gazed over her shoulder at Sasuke, and carefully gauged his response to the girl. He looked as if he wanted to run across the room and throttle her senseless. "What are you sorry about?"

"I can't say." She was defensive now, and Tsunade was known for her ill temper. Everyone waited patiently as the Hokage tried to calm herself enough to talk to the young girl again.

"If you tell us, we won't hurt you ... we want to help you." The girl shook her head fiercely. "Look, we're worried about a friend of ours, if you can help us ... please speak," Tsunade ground out between her clinched teeth. 

"They'll be back soon ... just wait." Everyone glanced at each other in confusion.

"'_They_' who?" The girl smiled and slowly opened her mouth, the following few minutes moved in a blur. Sakura held onto the girl's quivering body as Tsunade tried her best to revive her. She had bit her own tongue and caused a seizure. "She's dead." The Hokage backed away from the young girl's body, and motioned to the guard next to the door. He quietly left to fetch others and a stretcher to carry the girl's body to the hospital.

"Poor thing." Sakura gazed down at the girl's limp body, wishing with all her might that it hadn't come to this. "Sasuke-kun, I'm sorry ..."

"It's okay. I'm not surprised really since it seems every time we get a bit of a clue, it vanishes." Sasuke slumped down against the wall and held his head in his hands. If only they knew who '_they_' was, then maybe his heart wouldn't be swinging violently between hope and despair. Kakashi sat down beside him and rested his arm across Sasuke's taught shoulders.

"My hunch is that the people she was referring to are the ones who have gone missing in the woods. It's the only explanation."

"I hope you're right. Because I'm sick of waiting and wondering."

-----

Gaara's house was huge. It seemed to sprawl for several blocks, and was enclosed by a tall wooden and steel fence. Sasuke hadn't spoken with Naruto since they had left Orochimaru's house. He was afraid to, afraid he would lose control and hold onto him for dear life and never let go. It was hard to control that urge, but nevertheless, he tried. "S-sasuke ... I --"

"Don't, Naruto. I'll be fine. You're not mine remember?" Naruto glanced down at his feet. He didn't mean to make Sasuke feel worse by speaking, he just wanted to help him. He didn't like the fact that his friend was upset. "Naruto, you can't fix everything." 

"Yeah, I know. I can try though."

"Well, boys, here we are. Gaara-kun's home." Orochimaru pressed the small button on the intercom. A rich feminine voice answered the soft buzzing sound.

"Yes?"

"Ah, Temari-chan. This is Orochimaru. I've come with some friends, I'd like to see your brother, Gaara ... if that would be acceptable?" There was a pause then a chuckle as a clicking noise was heard. The gates swung open and the trio walked into a lush garden area. Naruto's smile appeared as his eyes rested upon the girl who had allowed them entry. It had been a while since he had gotten to see any of the Suna clan, and even though they were not the same people, it still made him happy to see they were well.

"Hello Orochimaru-san. Gaara was just mentioning that we should all come and visit." Orochimaru laughed as the two bowed slightly in greeting. "Gaara is in back, if you'll follow me."

"Allow me to introduce my companions. This is Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto." The two boys uttered a small greeting as the group traversed the walkway leading to the back of the main house. Gaara was sitting on the edge of the wooden walkway, playing with a small kitten. It was odd to see him without the blood tattoo upon his forehead, but other than that, he looked like himself. "Gaara-kun, it's been a long time!"

"Ah, Orochimaru-san. It's a pleasure to see you again." He rose and gazed at Naruto, a curious expression upon his pale face. "Do I ... know you?"

"I'm friends with your ... well --" Naruto blushed a little, feeling stupid talking about a separate world. 

Gaara smiled at the young blonde. "My other self?" Naruto nodded, still feeling embarrassed, but happy that he wasn't being looked at like a crazy person. "You wish to go home ... is that why you've come here?"

"Yeah. But I don't see how --" 

"It's not so hard, I'll need Orochimaru's help though." With Gaara in the lead, the group entered through a heavily bolted door, and down into a basement of sorts. Naruto could barely see anything, and it looked as if no one had been in that part of the house for many many years. The narrow stairwell spilled into a large open room, where one lone light on the far wall cast an eerie pale glow over the spartan room.

"There's nothing in here." Sasuke mumbled with some aggravation.

"Patience ..." Gaara walked over to the solitary piece of furniture which was a decrepit wooden pantry. One of the doors was barely hanging from its single rusty upper hinge, and the other door had a large hole in the center of it. Gaara quietly removed candles from the cupboard, and arranged them on the floor. He then took out a piece of white chalk and drew what looked like a jutsu array on the floor. Naruto observed his actions closely, trying to figure out where someone from this world could have learned such a thing. It amazed him that despite the fact that he couldn't do any type of jutsu nor could he summon any chakra, this man could apparently perform something that resembled a jutsu.

Once finished, Gaara gazed at Naruto and Sasuke. "Please, step inside the center mark."

"Both of us?" Sasuke and Naruto questioned in tandem.

With a soft chuckle, Gaara gently took each boy's hand and led them to the center. "There. Stand still, please."

Naruto glanced at Sasuke and took note of his distressed expression. He had to ask, he just couldn't keep it to himself despite what Orochimaru had said earlier. "Why is he going to?"

"Because, he needs to, Naruto-kun. He's important to what will happen next." Orochimaru smiled, but something about the smile sent a chill down Naruto's spine. It was too much like the ones which he had seen on his enemy's face. The one that reeked of hatred and evil. The one that even Sasuke had sported for a time. "It's time, Gaara-kun." Something wasn't right, and Naruto could feel it. However, Sasuke's light brush of his fingers against his own caused him to pause long enough for Gaara to perform the jutsu. As a bright light enveloped the two of them, Naruto swore that he could hear the faint evil snicker of Orochimaru's laugh.

-----

Tsunade and Jiraiya walked into the medical examiner's office in the early morning hours the day after the girl's death. They had both decided that it would be a good idea to perform an autopsy on the girl to see if that voice which had been nagging Tsunade was right or not. "Please let me be wrong ..." The Hokage was wringing her hands together as she walked beside her friend. 

Jiraiya felt at a total loss as to what he should do to comfort her. He had his doubts about her hunch, but at the same time, there was that possibility. It would only make sense for _him_ to have done something like that. _He_ was an evil genius after all. "Tsunade ..."

"No. Don't say it, Jiraiya. I just want to go in there and hear what he has to say."

They pushed open the door and were greeted by a kind elderly man, who normally wore a bright smile on his face, but today his eyes held a trace of panic and fear. "Hokage-sama ... I looked the young child over, and --" He shuffled his feet while trying to calm his nerves. This was a hard thing to tell this woman.

"'_And_!' What! What is it?"

Jiraiya rested his hands on her trembling shoulders. "Easy ..."

"Oh shut up Jiraiya! This is a matter of life or death! If that girl was one of --" 

"She was. There's no mistake about it ... she was one of those unfortunate experiments." The doctor stared down at the floor as the room fell silent. He had been dreading this all night long because his findings showed that Konoha, no the world, was in danger once more.

"Great ... _he_ did leave something behind." Tsunade sighed as she walked over to a chair and slumped down into its softness. She had been up all night trying to think of a way to deal with this, but had come up with very few answers. There was but one thing that she could do now, and it would alert all of Konoha there was danger on the horizon. "Jiraiya, ask Kakashi to assemble all Anbu troops ... we need to be prepared -- there's a chance that Konoha will receive a threat from the grave." 

-------------------------

(1)I gave Gaara the last name _Suna_ because it means sand, and well ... he doesn't actually have a surname.

_Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, TV-Tokyo, & Shounen Jump_


	8. Going Home

_Author's Notes_: I know it took me a year to get back to this, and I'm sorry. Thank you to everyone who kept asking about it, you guys actually helped spurn me into writing it again. I hadn't ever forgotten about it, but it just took me a while to get back to it.  
I hope to have the next chapter out within a month, maybe sooner. In the meantime, ENJOY:) 

Warnings: Angst, Very Minor Spoilage (c295+)  
Chapter Status: COMPLETE

-----

"Sasuke!!" Naruto rose to his feet ignoring the sudden wave of dizziness which swept over him. He had to find Sasuke. What if he hadn't made it back with him? Or worse yet, what if they had been separated and he had met the Konoha Sasuke? That would be a bit difficult to explain. Naruto roamed around the woods hoping that he would find a clue to Sasuke's whereabouts; however, the more he wondered around the more he began to realize that he was lost. Now what? He wasn't certain of his position and the fact that the trees were so crowded together made it impossible to tell what time of day it was. The only solution was to go to the the treetops; there was just one problem with that, he was too drained to mold his chakra to allow him to reach the top.

Naruto plopped down with an angry huff and glared at the rust colored dirt beneath him. He knew that if he continued to wander aimlessly through the woods that the odds of being found were greatly lessened. The best thing for his survival was to stay where he was, but there was that possibility that no one would find him. With a violent shake of his head, Naruto cleared out all the negative thoughts flitting through his mind. _Someone _will _find me,_ he reassured himself with conviction. _Someone_ will _come for me_. There was only one thought that he wasn't able to rid himself of, and that was the question of when. When would someone show up?

-----

Sasuke gazed at his surroundings with wide eyes. Where was he? The place looked vaguely familiar, but at the same time completely foreign. "Sasuke-kun!" A feminine voice rang out behind him, it sounded exactly like ... "Sasuke-kun! I've been looking all over for --" Sakura's voice trailed off as she took in her friend's appearance. He was wearing clothes that she had never seen before, and to top that off, his eyes were -- "Sasuke! Your eyes -- they've healed!" She threw her arms around him and gave him a fierce hug, forcing a small squeak to slip past his lips. Sakura backed away from him, an apologetic smile on her face. "I still seem to forget my strength. But this is excellent ... we need to go and see Tsunade-sama and tell her the good news."

Sasuke was dragged behind Sakura, having no chance to ask who Tsunade was or why Sakura was behaving so strangely. Also, he wanted to know where that monstrous strength had come from, but he held his tongue because it was hard enough to try and keep up with the insane pace which she was setting. In fact, Sasuke's feet barely touched the ground the entire trip to this Tsunade. When they finally reached the building where she apparently was, he had to lean against its stone surface and take several deep breaths to refill his starved lungs.

Sakura gazed at Sasuke wondering what was wrong with him. She had practically dragged him the entire way, and they hadn't made the best time to the Hokage's office. Instead of questioning him, she allowed him to rest a moment in peace and then walked with him into Tsunade's office. "Tsunade-sama, I have something interesting to show you."

Tsunade glanced up from the scrolls and tomes which she was studying to stare blankly at her former student. "What is it Sakura?" She wasn't prepared for the surprise of Sasuke walking into her office, eyes completely healed. In one swift flutter of hair and jacket, Tsunade was before Sasuke and peering into his dark eyes. "How -- when, did they heal?"

Sasuke glared at Tsunade, completely confused by her words. What did she mean, 'heal'? They weren't hurt to begin with. He sighed and turned to Sakura. "Is this supposed to be a joke?" She shook her head quickly, and returned his glare.

"Sasuke, have you forgotten? Your eyes were injured when Jiraiya found you in Midorimori. There was nothing I could do for you ..." Tsunade stared into Sasuke's eyes, trying to discern what was off about him. He obviously wasn't acting like himself, and the fact that he couldn't remember made her even more suspicious. "Sasuke, answer me something -- do you know where you are?"

"No." Tsunade nodded and strode back to her desk, her delicate fingers cupped her chin as she thought about Sasuke's memory loss. "I don't think it's amnesia" she mumbled to herself. "Possibly something else ... something that must be linked to his eyes."

"I don't mean to be rude, but where am I and why are you so concerned about my eyes?"

"Sakura, take him somewhere and explain everything he wants to know. I need to talk with Jiraiya and Kakashi." Tsunade dismissed them with an absent wave of her hand, and turned to her scrolls without another glance at the pair.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama." Sakura gently took Sasuke's hand and led him out of the office. The two of them walked for a while until they reached a quiet shaded area nearby. Sakura plopped down onto one of the benches beneath the trees and patted the open space next to her in an invitation. "What is it that you don't understand, Sasuke-kun?"

Reluctantly, Sasuke sat down next to the girl whom he had known since elementary school. However, she wasn't the same, and it confused him. Well, if she was offering answers, he'd take them. "Where am I?" 

"Konoha. It's the hidden village of the Fire country, where all the ninjas live and work out of." Sasuke nodded slowly. Ninjas? Had he hit his head? The last thing he could remember was going to a place in Hokkaido where Naruto could be sent back home. Oh, that was where he was. He must be in Naruto's homeland. "Sasuke-kun?"

"Hmm? Oh, sorry ... so I'm in Konoha. How long have we known each other?" Sakura giggled quietly. 

"Sasuke-kun ... we've known each other since we were eight-years-old. Since we started at the Academy." So, they had known each other for the same amount of time. Sasuke came to the conclusion that he must have been mistaken for that world's Sasuke, but then did that mean the _other_ Sasuke had been sent to his world?

"Um, Sakura ... I need to explain something to you." 

"What?" She gazed at him with innocent eyes, and a slightly puzzled but worried expression. She was going to think him mad when he told her he was from another world, but he couldn't let this go on much longer. If the other Sasuke was in fact in his world, they needed to figure out how to get him back where he belonged. 

"I'm not from Konoha. I'm from a place called Japan. And I believe that your Sasuke is there, because your Naruto was there with me for a little less than a month." Sakura blinked several times, the information not willing to seep into her brain. _My_ Sasuke? What in the world was he talking about. He _was_ Sasuke. How could there be two of them?

"Um, Sasuke-kun ... I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Japan? Where is that?" Sasuke's head slumped over in exasperation. Naturally she didn't understand what he was talking about, and why would she? He hadn't believed Naruto when he had explained it to him.

"Let's go find Naruto ... he can explain it better to you."

Sakura's eyes shifted to gaze at the brick pavement beneath her feet. "Sasuke-kun -- we don't know where he is. He's still missing." 

Sasuke sighed heavily. "Then let's go look for him," he hadn't meant for his voice to sound so patronizing, but the slight frown which flitted across Sakura's face told him that it had been. "Sorry," he mumbled under his breath. Sakura's head snapped up and she stared slack jawed at her old friend. He had just _apologized_?! Since when did he do that? Confused, she rose and began to walk in the direction of the gate.

"Follow me." Sasuke couldn't help but feel a little bad for upsetting her. It was odd that this Sakura seemed a bit different than the one he had left behind in the other world. She was more calm, and less flighty. Sasuke wasn't sure if he could adapt to this world any time soon.

-----

Sasuke panted heavily as he listened carefully for the footfalls which alerted him to his enemy's location. He wouldn't be taken down this time, no he had learned so much in the past few weeks. He was stronger now, not helpless. There, in the bushes. Sasuke puffed his chest out and executed a perfect _katon gokakyuu no jutsu_. Kakashi deftly jumped out of the way, only being mildly singed this time. "You nearly got me, Sasuke. I think you've come quite a ways."

"I'm still not as strong as I once was." Kakashi rested a hand upon Sasuke's drooping shoulders. He knew that the young man would never be as strong as he had been. Not after losing the sharingan ability, but there was still hope that he could be a great ninja without it. 

"You're still an Uchiha -- even without your sharingan ... That alone should fill you with pride. Sasuke, hold onto that and form it into strength -- don't give up."

"I can't. Not with Naruto's life on the line. I _will_ bring him back. He brought me back, it's only right that I find him." Sasuke's face burned with intensity as he made his vow. Kakashi couldn't help but grin a bit remembering a similar look upon Naruto's face as he promised to bring Sasuke back. _They both have similar fires burning within them_, Kakashi mused quietly to himself. A rustle in the bushes caused both men to go on guard, until the familiar figure of Sakura emerged.

"Finally," she panted slightly. "I've been looking everywhere..." Her voice trailed off as she stared at Sasuke standing beside Kakashi. "Wha--?" Suddenly the world began to tilt back and forth, her head throbbed from the motion. Kakashi ran to her side and caught her just before she fell onto the hard ground.

"Sakura? Hey ... what's wrong?" Kakashi gently shook the young girl, but she wouldn't open her eyes. "Sasuke go --" The last bit of the sentence died in his throat as he looked upon Sasuke's face. He had grown tense, the corners of his mouth drawn taught as he gazed unseeing in the direction from which Sakura had come.

"Who are you?" Kakashi turned and found himself looking upon an exact duplicate of Sasuke. Just what was going on here?

"I would ask the same of you, had I not already been in this position once already. My name is Uchiha Sasuke."

"That's impossible. _I_ am Uchiha Sasuke ... I'll ask again. _Who_ are you?" His face should no sign of emotion as he looked in the general direction of the impostor. The one thought on his mind was that it was possible that he could be why Naruto was gone. That he was the one who had taken him away.

"You're not going to believe me. I _am_ you, but from another world -- I guess." His voice hadn't sounded very confident, naturally because he didn't quite believe everything himself. In fact he was hoping to wake up from the hellish nightmare he seemed to be trapped inside at any moment.

"Try me." Sasuke growled deep within his chest. Hearing some tall-tale come out of this other 'Sasuke' would make it easier to force the truth out of him, he may even take a bit of pleasure out of prolonging his suffering.

The Japanese Sasuke shivered as the Konoha Sasuke grinned wickedly at him. He knew that no matter what, he needed to make himself understood. Otherwise, it spelled trouble for him, and he'd rather not get hurt because of the strange situation. "Before, about three weeks ago -- in my world -- Naruto," he paused trying to collect his emotions. It was hard saying the words aloud, but he needed to do so. "_My_ Naruto died in a car accident. He -- I, couldn't remember it happening, because _he_ was with me. That is, your Naruto -- the Konoha one -- had replaced him. I thought that he was still _my_ Naruto, but he continued to profess that he was a ninja from here ... a place I'd never heard of.

"I never believed him until the day I noticed he was taller than me. That was the moment I realized that something had happened. And he wasn't _mine_." He forcibly shoved the knot which had formed in his throat down; he couldn't cry he needed his wits about him so that he could deal with the other 'him'. The Konoha Sasuke stood very still while the Japanese Sasuke gazed at him, noting the subtle differences between the two. The Konoha one was definitely much taller than he. Bigger in build too.

"You're telling me that you are from another dimension?"

"Yes." Laughter suddenly filled the small clearing, and startled the Japanese Sasuke. Why on Earth was he laughing? "What's so funny!?"

"You." He finally managed to say between deep breaths. "I've not heard such a wild tale since Naruto and I were younger. Speaking of which," the humor vanished as quickly as it had come, leaving in its wake a terrifying seriousness in Sasuke's voice. "I'd like to know where you've got him."

"'_Got him_'? I haven't '_got him_' anywhere! We came back together, but got separated. We were hoping that he could help us!" Sasuke pointed angrily in Kakashi's direction, who had been sitting with Sakura collapsed upon his lap. He had noted the differences between the two boys, and could tell that what the Japanese Sasuke had stated was most likely the truth.

"Sasuke, calm yourself. I believe that he's telling the truth."

"How can you say that, Kakashi!? It's as phony a story as they come!" Power radiated from the Konoha Sasuke's body, causing the other Sasuke to want to run away, but he bravely stood his ground hoping that Kakashi could calm the other. 

"Because, his eyes tell me it's the truth, as does his body language. If you weren't so hotheaded, you'd be able to sense it as well." Sakura moaned softly and stirred within Kakashi's arms. She slowly sat up and glanced between the two men. Her face quickly drained of its color, once more. "Sakura, don't faint again. I know this is unusual, but these two men are _both_ Sasuke. However, one is from another -- place." She nodded wearily. "Sasuke -- er ... Konoha Sasuke, I think you should give the other Sasuke the benefit of a doubt, until he gives you just cause to think otherwise." The Konoha Sasuke grunted. He didn't like this 'other him,' but for the sake of finding Naruto he decided that giving into Kakashi's request made sense. "Good. Now, other Sasuke -- do you have any idea where Naruto may be?"

"No." His shoulders drooped slightly with helplessness.

"Then I suggest we go and see the Hokage." The group moved slowly back the way Sakura and the Japanese Sasuke had traveled, back to see Tsunade. 

As they traveled Sakura watched the two Sasuke's closely. There were some definite differences in them, but at the same time they were remarkably similar. A chill ran down her spine causing her to shiver. Why was it that seeing the two of them together caused an overwhelming sense of doom inside her? The other Sasuke's presence obviously meant something, and it was that unknown that bothered her. "Nothing good can come of this," she muttered. Kakashi turned at the sound of Sakura's quiet voice. He silently agreed with her. This other Sasuke's appearance did not bode well.

-----

Consciousness was slow to return to Naruto, but as it drifted back he became aware of the sensation that he was being carried. Slowly, he pried one eye open, and was promptly smacked between the eyes by an all too familiar lock of white hair. Naruto groaned in both pain and annoyance. "Ero sennin?" Jiraiya laughed quietly.

"It's been a while. You're lucky I came across you, a storm is brewing to the east and is heading this way." Naruto laid his head against his friend and sensei's strong shoulder. He felt so weak, and he couldn't explain it away. However, he was relieved to feel the kyuubi's presence within him. At least that hadn't vanished mysteriously like his strength. 

"Say, Ero sennin -- how's Sasuke?"

Jiraiya paused for a length of time while he carefully chose his words. "He's good ..."

"But ..." He cringed as he realized that Naruto wouldn't let it lie with just that.

"He's blind, Naruto. Something happened to his eyes." The young man's response was a quiet grunt. Jiraiya wasn't sure what to make of it, but he could tell that Naruto felt for Sasuke. For they all knew how precious those eyes were to him, especially as a ninja. "You'll be able to see him once we return to the village. Don't worry -- even without his eyes, he's still the same old Sasuke." However, he couldn't stop himself from thinking, _and why you like him is beyond me._ Sure he had felt respect and envy for Orochimaru's abilities, but to _love_ the man? Well, he wasn't gay -- perhaps that played a roll in it, but to his knowledge, Naruto had never shown interest in boys either. Jiraiya shook his head in confusion. It was going to give him a headache trying to figure those two boys out, best to just leave it alone.

-----

The research center was the same as always, just a bit dusty from neglect. No one had been there in years, but the girls had awakened right on time. Just as planned. 

She walked cautiously down the main corridor, not sure what types of wild animals may have made any one of the hundreds of rooms their home for the night. She really wanted to get to the lab where she had slumbered for so long, in one piece. As she approached the door which protected her destination, a soft scraping noise behind her caused her to freeze. "I was wondering how long you would be, my dear little one." A soft smile slid across her face at the familiar voice.

"I'm home," she whispered happily. 

"They should've met each other by now ... don't you think?"

"Yes. Everything is going as you planned, _Father_." An easy serpentine smile glowed down at the young girl from the shadows. There would be a special treat for her efforts that night -- hopefully chocolate.

-----

Tsunade's stare was intense as she peered at the two Sasuke's. As soon as they had entered the room, they had moved as far away from each other as the space had allowed. However, the two had taken a similar stance. The Hokage had wanted to laugh hysterically when the boys had pursed their lips into an angry pout at the exact same time, but she had surprised herself by not doing so. "Well, this is a problem."

Kakashi laughed quietly. "Yes. I'm not exactly sure if the village will be able to understand this. I believe it would draw too much attention to them." Tsunade nodded and walked slowly over to the Japanese Sasuke.

"So, you claim to be from a place called Japan. Tell me, do you know anything about ninjas?"

"I know that they existed as assassins long ago in feudal times. They did what the samurai could not -- they would eliminate targets without their victims becoming aware of their presence. However, the samurai never liked nor trusted them. They preferred to do things in the open -- it was more honorable."

"So they existed in your world ... interesting." Slowly, she paced over to the Konoha Sasuke. He was a good 13 cm taller than the other Sasuke, a significant amount. Also, their builds were quite different as well. There was no mistaking that the two boys were _different_ people. "Sasuke, I hate to ask you to do this ... but --" she was cut off by the door being pushed open in haste. Shizune stood before everyone, panting heavily. 

"N-Naruto ... he found him!" The group only spared enough time to glance at each other before they ran out the door and followed Shizune to the hospital.

-----

Naruto was sitting on the edge of the hospital cot, his blue eyes shaded by heavy lids. He wanted, no needed more sleep, but the nurse wouldn't stop hovering over him. The door opening caught his attention and he smiled as he saw his friends pile in through the door. Sakura led the group and rushed up to hug Naruto. "Oh thank goodness you're alright! We were all so worried about you ..." Her voice faded into the background as Naruto's eyes came to rest on the two Sasuke's. At first he thought that he was seeing things, then he realized that the Japanese Sasuke had met the Konoha one. Great, he thought with a bitter tone. This wasn't going to be fun dealing with both of them at once.

Naruto slid off the edge of the cot and walked over to the Konoha Sasuke. Although Naruto was a good height, Sasuke still towered over him. It was funny, but he had forgotten how much taller his friend was. "How're your eyes?"

Naruto's voice washed over Sasuke like a warm bath. It wasn't until that moment that he realized just how much he had missed him. His smile began small, but grew slowly as he mentally pictured the blonde boy standing before him, a mischievous yet sweet expression upon his face. He opened his mouth to answer Naruto's question, when Sakura gasped. Sasuke cursed his eyes as he demanded to know what had happened. "Naruto?" There was no answer, only the noise of everyone talking at once. Finally Sasuke was able to determine that Naruto had collapsed.

"I'll go fetch the doctor!" The door opened and closed behind the nurse. Sasuke _wanted_ to know what was happening, but his voice was getting lost amongst the commotion.

"Sasuke, place him in the bed." The Konoha Sasuke froze at the sound of Kakashi's quiet command. _He_ was touching Naruto!? That other him!? Like hell he'd stand for this! However, without his eyes, there was little he could do, but stand there. He felt useless and helpless. It had been ages since he had felt that way, and it hurt every bit as much as it had _then_. He wasn't going to lose Naruto -- especially not to himself.   
---------

13 cm is roughly 5 inches.

_Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, TV-Tokyo, & Shounen Jump_


	9. Two of a Kind

_Author's Notes_: Here's the next chapter.  
In the following chapters, the pace will pick up and things will start to happen -- I promise :)  
I'm not sure why the font was messed up, but it should be fixed now. I also changed the age and sharingan bit.

Warnings: Very Minor Spoilage (c295+)  
Chapter Status: COMPLETE

--------

The room had fallen silent, all eyes were on the sleeping form of Naruto. In the distance, faint sounds of thunder rolling across the gray sky drifted lazily to the group's ears. Tsunade spared a meaningful glance in Kakashi's direction and the two quietly left the room, leaving only the two Sasukes and Sakura behind. "The doctor said he was fine, just exhausted. Perhaps we should leave him alone too." Sakura's voice was a mere whisper, afraid of stirring up the two men's emotions again. One stood on either side of Naruto's cot, the Japanese Sasuke glaring at the other. They had been like that since the doctor had left the room. 

The wheels in Sakura's mind began to churn wildly in the hopes of breaking the tension between the two men, but nothing came to her. Her narrow shoulders slumped slightly as she realized that there was a distinct possibility that the two Sasukes wanted to fight one another over Naruto. Just as she was about to open her mouth, the door opened slightly and a messy bit of silver hair appeared, it was Kakashi. "Sakura, can you come out here for a minute please?"

Glancing between her old teacher and the faces of her old friends, she tried to determine whether it was safe for her to leave the room or not. Konoha Sasuke's deep voice quietly put an end to her inner struggle. "Go, Sakura. I'm not going to kill him -- yet." The corner's of Sasuke's mouth quickly pulled taught as he glowered even harder at the smiling face of Konoha Sasuke.

"You may say that, but --"

"Go." His voice was stern, and told her that he would be more than happy to force her out of the room. She nodded wearily as she backed slowly out the door.

The silence that filled the room was palpable, both boys' stood trying to reign in their burgeoning tempers. After a stretch of time, the Konoha Sasuke broke the tension. "He's mine."

"I never claimed him. Besides, you can't _declare_ ownership of another human." Japanese Sasuke peered at the other through hooded lids. He wasn't surprised that his other self was arrogant, but he was appalled by just how haughty he really was. "I'm sure Naruto wouldn't be very happy if he heard you proclaim that."

"Look, I don't like you. Nor do I trust you, but he i is /i mine. Just as I am his. It works both ways ... he -- he saved my life and I've yet to truly thank him for that. Truthfully, I don't think I can ever thank him enough for what he did for me." He turned his head away from the Japanese Sasuke in an act of embarrassment. He hadn't intended to voice any of that, but for some reason what the other man had said had made him feel that it was necessary. If he had the use of his eyes, he would have caught the concerned look which briefly flashed across the other's face. It was a look which would have told him that the other felt sorry for him.

"I'm not planning to steal him from you -- if that's what you're afraid of. But I will tell you that I don't think he sees you as anything more than a friend." The aura around the Konoha Sasuke changed immediately. His desire to fight had faded, and in its place grew a strong sadness. Not knowing exactly what to do, the Japanese Sasuke decided to leave the room. There wasn't much more he could say that could make the other feel any better, for the only one who could fix him was asleep in the hospital bed.

Outside in the corridor, the Japanese Sasuke met up with Tsunade, Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Sakura. They had been talking about something, but had stopped as soon as the door had opened. Looking apologetic, Sasuke closed the door quietly and began to walk away from the group. "Um, Sasuke-kun ... could I see you for a moment?" He turned slowly at the sound of Tsunade's voice, and retraced his steps back to stand before her. "There are some tests I'd like to have run on you. Just to, well learn about you."

"Tests?" He couldn't keep the slight quiver out of his voice. He hated doctors, and he wasn't sure if they had the same type of equipment in this world of ninjas as his own world. Images of horrible looking drills and needles flashed briefly through his mind, and he would have turned and run away if Jiraiya hadn't placed a large hand on his shoulder stopping his retreat.

"It won't hurt." Tsunade stated with a quiet snort. She was laughing at him, which of course gave him more courage than anything else she could have done. He was going to show her that he wasn't afraid.

"Fine. Just be quick." His bolster of courage died in the face of Tsunade's smirk. Great, this was going to hurt.

"Sit." Sasuke sat in a large arm chair which had straps attached to it. He didn't feel comfortable at all, in fact the urge to flee was rearing its head again. Tsunade had disappeared behind him, and he could hear clanks from bits of metal objects hitting one another. The quiet that followed worried him; he began to imagine the various horrible tools that she could be bringing out for use. Then she moved over beside him with a blood sampling tube and a bit of rubber tubing. She was only going to take a bit of blood. "This'll be over in a few seconds."

"Why do you want my blood?" He asked quietly as she straightened and capped the small tube.

Tsunade let out a quiet sigh before her brown eyes turned to Sasuke. "Our Sasuke is a member of a family with something that's called a bloodline limit. Basically a special ability that's passed through the genes. I want to see if you happen to have true Uchiha blood in you." She studied his face, hoping to read his reaction, but his face was a perfect blank -- just like his counterpart. With everything said, she turned and began to walk out of the room.

"Are we done?"

"Yes." Relief flooded Sasuke's body as the door closed behind the retreating form of Tsunade. He had escaped the horrifying torture which had been playing over and over in his mind. All she had wanted was a bit of his blood, but what if he did have the same blood as the other Sasuke? Wouldn't that mean that since the two of them were in the same world together that they were somehow defying the order of the universe? Tired and hungry, he decided to find somewhere to stay.

-----

"Tsunade-sama, I know you don't really like it when I say things like this ... but --"

"Just spit it out, Shizune." Tsunade was bent over a microscope looking at the blood sample which the Japanese Sasuke had given to her. So far, it had reacted the way it should for someone who carries a bloodline limit; however, there were some subtle differences, which meant more tests. Her temper was beginning to run thin and Shizune's buzzing around her was not helping much.

"I don't think he should be here. I think it's messing up the order of everything."

"I understand that. And I agree ... but we won't know if they're really the same until I have the results of these tests. So, please -- sit still!" Shizune quickly dropped into the nearest chair, and allowed Ton-Ton to jump into her lamp. She and the piglet managed to sit quietly until a loud '_what_' caused them to both make a startled noise.

"What is it Tsunade-sama!?" Shizune waited with baited breath for the answer, but Tsunade sat motionless with her back to her friend. "Tsunade-sama?"

"Fetch Jiraiya and Kakashi. I need to speak with both of them -- immediately." Tsunade stared down at the vial of blood which rested in a test tube rack. What she had seen confused her, and worried her that just maybe Shizune was right.

-----

Sasuke slowly felt around the far wall of the hospital room, trying to locate the chair that he knew should be there. After a moment's search, he found it and dragged it carefully and silently over to the bed. By the sounds of deep even breathing, Sasuke had thankfully managed to not wake Naruto.

Sasuke's hand groped for Naruto's in a need to feel him. It had been almost three years since they had fought one another. Naruto attempting to make Sasuke see the error of his ways, and Sasuke wanting only one thing: revenge. However, all that was over now, and Naruto had miraculously forgiven him; although, it was still unclear to Sasuke as to why or how he had forgiven him so simply and easily. If it had been reversed, he knew for certain that he would have had a difficult time forgiving his best friend for trying to kill him, not just once -- but twice. In truth, he probably wouldn't have ever forgiven Naruto for something like that. Their friendship would have died the day he had left Konoha.

Tears began to form threateningly on his sealed lids. Did he really deserve to be forgiven? He had been so cold, so brutal toward Naruto, and for what? So that he could fight his brother. The desire to kill had left him after he had finally faced Itachi, and learned the full truth. Then his brother had given his life to protect him in the end. It all made his lust for revenge pointless, and it made him feel like a horrible person. "I don't deserve you," Sasuke whispered to the sleeping form. Naruto stirred slightly, and rolled closer to Sasuke. His free hand reached out and rested lightly over his and Sasuke's joined hands.

Sasuke stiffened for a brief moment, then relaxed when he realized that Naruto was still sleeping. He needed to talk to him, but he was far from ready. The feelings within him were still jumbled and raw, but even still, he knew without a doubt that he loved Naruto. That had been why he couldn't kill him, and that was most likely why he felt such an enormous amount of guilt when he thought about building a life with him. As his mind began to think of all the reasons why he failed to deserve Naruto, a quick, white hot pain shot through his unseeing eyes, causing him to feel a bit lightheaded. His breathing quickened and he carefully laid his head down on the edge of Naruto's cot.

When the aftereffects of the pain subsided, Sasuke tried to open his eyes. The skin of his lids slowly peeled away from his cheeks, sending yet more excruciating pain throughout his head. Sasuke held in a cry of anguish as his eyes gingerly opened. He blinked a few times, allowing the moisture which was flowing freely to wash over the tender lids. Then, carefully, he pulled off the silk wrap. There was only blackness. He was still blind.

Sasuke threw the scarf away with an angry jerk of his hand. Why was he still blind!? It didn't make any sense to him, unless -- that girl in the woods. What had it been that she had said to him? "_I decided that it would be better this way, since you need to realize your folly._ " Did she mean that he needed to atone for his sins? "Am I being punished for what I did? For the pain I brought to you?" Fear gripped his heart as those thoughts began to seep deeper inside him. If that was true, then what was it that he was supposed to realize? He had already admitted that he had been wrong to do what he did, but apparently that wasn't the only thing he needed to apologize for. Sasuke grunted softly out of frustration. If only that girl hadn't died, then maybe, just maybe he could have found out what she had meant. The sound of the door opening caused Sasuke to swivel around.

"Sasuke -- your eyes!" It was Kakashi.

"They opened just a few moments ago. And no, I can't see anything."

"Then you'd best put the scarf back around your eyes, otherwise you'll fry your retinas. The reason I came in here, is to tell you that Tsunade wishes to see you in her office."

Sasuke turned back to face Naruto. He longed to be able to look at him, even if it was just for a moment. He wanted to see that bright smile lighting up his face, but the odds of that happening were most likely slim. "Sasuke?"

"Tell her I'll be there in a moment." Kakashi grunted softly and after a brief hesitation, he left.

Sasuke bent over the hand he held and brushed a feather-light kiss upon its rough knuckles. "I'll come back later ... I promise." With that, he fumbled around trying to locate where he had thrown his scarf, and then left with angry jerks of his hands as he tied it back in place.

-----

Sasuke felt haphazardly around for the handle to Tsunade's office. His delay in finding it surely didn't have anything to do with his preoccupation with Naruto, or at least that's what he was telling himself. After groping aimlessly for a few minutes, his fingertips finally hit the cold brass of the door knob. He began to wrap his thick fingers around the knob, but before he could do so, it swung open and away from his hand. "Sasuke! Excellent! Come in, there's something I need from you." He slowly entered the room, wondering why Tsunade sounded so falsely happy.

"What's wrong?" Tsunade winced at the bland tone of Sasuke's voice; she knew that he could tell that she was hiding her concern.

Tsunade decided that it would be best to stop pretending with Sasuke, so she dropped the happy act and replaced it with her usually brusque tone. "I need a sample of your blood."

"Why?"

"We took a sample from the other Sasuke, and I -- I need something to compare it to. It's very important," she added almost as an afterthought.

"Fine." Tsunade's strong hand grabbed his arm and led him to a seat, and pressed him down onto its hard surface.

"This'll only take a moment, but I would like you to stay -- until I finish running the tests." Sasuke merely nodded his assent and sat quietly as he listened to Tsunade's movements around the room. He sat there so long that he had begun to fall asleep when she finally announced that she was finished.

"Was my blood helpful?" Tsunade decided to ignore the snide tone in his voice and carried on with a bit of cheerfulness.

"Yes very."

"Tsunade-sama -- what is it that you're trying to do?" He heard her sigh heavily and then sensed her presence near him. A knot was beginning to form in the pit of his stomach, and he couldn't understand why. Was he nervous about what she was about to say to him? Or was it something else?

When she finally spoke, there was no trace of joy in her voice. Tsunade lowered herself into a chair next to Sasuke and spoke in an even and serious tone. "The other Sasuke and you have the exact same genetic make-up. You are essentially the same person."

"And ...?"

"Well, I'm not sure what it means. It's basically an impossibility to have two people with the exact same genetic make-up in the same place, unless one is a clone. Which that could be what's happened here, but it doesn't explain where Naruto went -- or why he has those memories of that other world." Sasuke grunted impatiently. Tsunade ignored him, and continued on despite the disbelieving look Sasuke was now sporting. "Look, I know that you probably think that all this postulating is pointless unless we already have an explanation. I'm sorry that we don't, but I thought it would be good to tell you that the other Sasuke has the sharingan as well. Obviously he has no idea how to use it --"

Sasuke quickly straightened up in his seat and gazed in the direction of Tsunade's voice. "Do you mean he has the gene which is passed onto his offspring? Because unless it developed before he was sixteen -- he won't ever be able to use it."

"I realize that, Sasuke-kun. But there is a difference between the dormant state of the gene which transfers the bloodline limit and the active state. His is in the active state, just like yours. That's why all this is so confusing. And as much as I hate to admit it, but it reeks of --"

"Orochimaru," Sasuke finished quietly. It was everyone's fear that somehow, someway the ninja who had caused so much grief would come back once more. He had cheated death more than once, and although it was highly improbable that he could have survived the last attack on him, there was still that possibility.

"Yes. That's why we _must_ find out why and where that other Sasuke came from. I don't feel that he nor Naruto were ever in that other world -- especially if Orochimaru is behind all this. But then, I may be wrong and we need to be prepared for that. I've asked Kakashi to allow the other Sasuke to stay with him. He's to keep his eye on him at all times, and if there is any odd behavior he'll report it to me.

Now, I want you to go with a small team I'm sending to one of Orochimaru's old research centers. The reason I'm asking you is because you've been there before -- and you'll be of great help to the team."

"The last time I was there, I could see. How am I supposed to help now?" His temper was flaring slowly once more. If he went and was to help them, what if he gave them poor advice? It was likely that someone would die, and he didn't want that on him. Not when he had a chance to prevent it.

"Didn't Kakashi teach you how to overcome your handicap?" Tsunade asked a bit irritated with his attitude.

"Yes," Sasuke mumbled miserably.

"Then, you'll go. Calm down, you won't be the leader," she added when he made to protest again. "Jiraiya will be leading -- so I want you to concentrate on remembering that place inside and out. As of right now, we're not certain what we're looking for -- so I just want an eyes-only investigation." Sasuke tried to not let her thoughtlessness sting him and forced himself to nod in agreement. "Good. Jiraiya will pick you up at your apartment at first light tomorrow."

"Understood."

-----

"Is it almost time?" Her soft feminine voice echoed off the stone walls and floated gently into his ears. A cold smile crept slowly across his pale face as he gazed at her.

"Yes -- they should have discovered the eerie similarities by now, thanks to Tsunade's sharp mind. Yes, it won't be long before the second phase of my plan is placed in motion." His cackle filled up the empty lab's space. The young girl smiled sweetly at the sound of her 'father's' laughter. It was good to know that she had done her job well, and that her sister's sacrifice had not been for nothing.

_Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, TV-Tokyo, & Shounen Jump_


	10. The Heart's Truth

_Author's Notes_: I actually managed to get two chapters out in one month! Woo! I promise that anything confusing in the story will be straightened out in the next few chapters. :)  
I will say that if you aren't reading the manga, parts may not make sense completely, because I've based some things off of ideas introduced in the more recent chapters of the manga. But don't worry -- if you have a question you can email me (gmail, scythehaven), I'll answer it for you. 

Warnings: Spoilers (c295+), Sexuality   
Chapter Status: COMPLETE 

-----

Naruto rolled over and sighed contentedly. The warmth still lingered beside him, even if the person it belonged to was no longer there. He felt at peace, happy, and above all else: loved. He stretched his arms wide above his head and collided with something that produced a loud grunt. His blue eyes slowly batted open and searched for what his fist had hit; it only took a moment for his eyes to come to rest upon his old friend's face which was scrunched up in pain. "Nice to see you again too," Shikamaru grumbled as he gingerly rubbed his reddened cheek. 

"Sorry, I --" 

"You've been out for three days. I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever wake up -- lazy." Shikamaru tried to hide his happy grin behind a bored glare, but ended up looking very comical. Naruto watched as his long time friend leaned over and dug around in a satchel which was propped up against the leg of his chair. 

"Have I missed much?" 

"Not really. Just Sasuke, Kakashi, and Jiraiya took a team out to Orochimaru's old research center to have a lo--" 

"What!?" Naruto threw the covers off into the floor and leapt from the bed, only to crumple in an undignified heap next to Shikamaru's feet. It felt as if every ounce of strength had been zapped from his body instantly. Gone were the feelings of warmth and love which he had experienced while asleep, replaced by cold sadness and a strong yearning to see Sasuke. From what seemed miles away, Shikamaru had called out his name. There was a screeching noise that made his head feel as if it were being ripped in two, and then arms were tugging him back onto his feet and forcing him back into the bed. He kept his eyes tightly shut, trying to put a stop to the spinning sensation which had begun the moment he had been lifted into a standing position. What was wrong with him? Why had he felt fine just a few moments before, but now felt as if he were falling apart? He only partially registered the fact that Shikamaru had told him he was going to fetch the doctor, and so he was surprised when an old man with a thick gray mustache and little hair on his forehead was bending over him shining an excruciatingly bright light into each of his eyes. 

"So he had another spell, eh?" The doctor's voice croaked a bit on the last word, and Naruto had a passing thought that the man must be far older than Jiraiya, which in his mind made him ancient. For a moment Naruto closed his mind to the voices filling his ears and rolled his head toward the warm Spring light which was streaming in through the open window. Why, he did not know, but he felt as though if he were to open his eyes he would be back in the Tokyo apartment, Sasuke would probably be in the small kitchen fixing breakfast. The thought warmed the places which had gone cold only moments before, and a small smile began to grow on his face. He wanted to be back there. He didn't want to be there in that cold hospital room, especially with the new knowledge that Sasuke was away from him. Far away where he couldn't keep a close eye on him. What if something happened to him? It would be his fault, because he wasn't there to watch his back like always. 

"Naruto?" He could feel someone leaning over him, breaking through his happy thoughts. Angrily he rolled over and glared up at the doctor's face, who turned to Shikamaru. "I believe he will be okay for now, but we'll definitely need to keep a close eye on him. As I said before he seems to be suffering a bit of a shock for some reason. Perhaps you could persuade him to tell you about it -- better than I could." Naruto puzzled over what the doctor had just said as the old man shuffled his way out of the room. 

"Shikamaru, what was he talking about? Better than he could? What did he try to do?" His friend scooted his foot against the tiled floor, obviously debating whether or not he should divulge the information on that subject or not. "_Shikamaru_," Naruto growled quietly. 

"Okay, okay. You're such trouble." He rolled his eyes and plopped back down into the metal and wood chair before he began his explanation. "Well, the day after you collapsed, the doctor came in and you were wide awake. But -- well you weren't exactly acting like yourself. You kept begging to see Sasuke. You said that he needed to know something, and it was very important. But whenever the doctor would ask you to calm down and tell him what it was so that the message could be delivered to Sasuke ... well you'd freak out and start growling. -- Like a monster." 

Naruto shifted uncomfortably. "A -- a monster?" 

"Yeah, you pretty much freaked everyone out. I thought Hinata was going to faint." 

"When you say, 'monster,' you mean like when I would merge with the Kyuubi?" Naruto closed his eyes unable to look at Shikamaru as he answered. He had managed, albeit with some difficulty, to finally control the nine-tailed demon which resided within him, but this news disturbed him. If it was the Kyuubi, then what had happened to that precious control he had developed? After a few moments of silence Naruto opened one eye and peered sideways at his friend, who was just gazing back at him, a look of concentration on his face. "Well?" Naruto asked impatiently. 

"I'm thinking!" Shikamaru scratched his nose as he thought back to the day when they had all been in the room with Naruto, it had been the day that Kakashi's team had left for the abandoned research lab. "No, it actually reminded me of -- well okay, yeah. It sounded definitely like the same growl you used to produce when you were becoming too intertwined with the Kyuubi." He hadn't wanted to say that, but the angry look which had momentarily popped onto Naruto's face had caused him to change his mind. "Sorry, Naruto. I know how hard you worked to prevent that from ever happening again, but the upside is that it only happened once." Naruto grunted softly, and turned his head to gaze out the window. Shikamaru let out a long sigh as he realized that his friend was silently saying that he wanted to be alone. He rose slowly from his chair, and turned to leave, saying only a soft, 'see ya' as he shut the door behind him. 

Naruto's mind drifted back to that wonderful warm feeling which he had experienced prior to waking that day. Had he been dreaming? It had felt so real, that warmth surrounding every inch of his being. A shiver ran over him, despite the warmth of the room. Pulling the covers up to his chin, he curled into a ball and closed his eyes, hoping that he would have that same warm dream once more. 

-----

Sasuke stood outside the old research center, reaching out with his senses hoping that he could tell what lay inside. However, all he could sense were his surrounding team members. 

"Anything?" Kakashi asked quietly from behind Sasuke. 

"I can only tell who's with me. But, this place is still sealed up well -- it could be that whoever we're looking for is locked away deep inside the structure." Sasuke stood stock still for a moment listening to the soft sounds which were seeping from the building. There was definitely something in there, and it seemed to be calling to him. A sudden chill ran through him as bent to pick up his traveling pack. Could it be true? Was _he_ still alive and waiting for him? Kakashi seemed to pick up on Sasuke's unease, because he gently laid a comforting hand on the younger man's shoulder. 

"Don't worry, we'll be right with you. If it is him, he won't get you again." 

"I don't have any reason to go with him anymore. It's," he hesitated wondering whether or not he could trust everyone with his innermost fears. Something inside him told him to tell everyone, that it would be safer for them to know. "It's just ... something I sensed right before I reversed his body transfer jutsu. It was as if he told me that he'll always return, but he didn't actually voice it out loud." He could feel everyone's inquisitive eyes rest upon him. That was the first time he had ever spoken aloud about that strange moment right before he had put a stop to Orochimaru's nasty little jutsu. 

"Hmm ... well, then we'd best get inside and stick together. If he's in there, the six of us should be able to stop him." Jiraiya glanced around at the team. Neiji, Kiba, and Shino had all come along to aid in the search, each one with a specialized ability that would help immensely with locating anyone hiding within the research lab. Shino was to mark the entrance in case they became lost deep within and the byakugan couldn't locate the exit. Kiba and Akamaru's sense of smell was to aid them in making sure they could find anyone that may get lost, also to alert them if something odd was ahead. Kiba's abilities paired with Neiji's byakugan would prove quiet useful once inside the dark structure. All of this made Sasuke feel immensely useless. It was true that he had been there before, but the fact that he couldn't see, nor could he use the sharingan, made him feel like a dead weight to the group. 

"I think it might be best if we split into two groups. You," Kakashi indicated Jiraiya, "me, and Sasuke in one group. Then Neiji, Kiba, and Shino in the other. Shino I think you should be in charge," he added quickly before Kiba could claim the commanding role. 

"But ..." Kiba opened his mouth in protest, but Kakashi cut him off with a wave of his hand. 

"You'll be busy working through all the scents inside. You're not an academy student anymore Kiba -- you aided in the war against Akatsuki, I think you should know how a team works by now." Kiba nodded obediently, and set off with the other two members of his team. "Well then, I guess we're off. Looks like they took the west wing of the building. We'll go east. Sasuke, do you remember what was in the east wing?" 

His nod was barely perceptible. "I do. That's where all the experimenting was done. The west wing was just research labs and libraries." Sasuke's shame washed over him chilling him to the bone. He hadn't regretting having things done to him at the time, but now -- he wished he could go back and change much of it. Shakily, he began to follow Kakashi's presence inside the building, hoping that they wouldn't find what he felt was there waiting for him. 

-----

Naruto felt an arm slide lazily against his ribcage. He snuggled backward into the welcoming warmth and sighed. Nothing could harm him there within the protective circle of the other's arms. "Sasuke." It was more of a moan than an actual spoken word. Slowly Naruto peeled one eye open and gazed down at the arm draped over him. Just above the wrist was an odd tattoo. Naruto lightly traced it with his fingertips, as he did so, hot breath blew across his earlobe as a kiss was brushed against it's softness. A bright smile flit across his face as he turned to face the man laying beside him. He was propped up on his elbow, gazing intensely down at his bed companion. 

"Naruto -- I ..." He stopped and swallowed hard, his adam's apple catching Naruto's eye. It was as if he had never actually stopped and looked at Sasuke before. The way his skin was paler than his, softer than his. The way the light would catch his dark eyes and add a carmel color to them. The way his bottom lip was fuller than the top, and utterly kissable. 

Naruto rested his hand on Sasuke's muscular chest and allowed it to slide down until it was resting only inches away from where their bodies touched most intimately. He didn't want to talk, he wanted to kiss Sasuke, to touch him, to be touched by him. He finally knew what had always pulled him toward his friend. It was more than the intense bond of friendship which they shared, but love. His pure love for his friend that had spilled over into attraction, but why had it taken him so long to realize this? What would have happened if he had learned of his true feelings before Sasuke had run off to join Orochimaru? Suddenly the warmth disappeared and he was back in his cold hospital bed. He could feel a set of eyes boring into the side of his face from beside his bed. Naruto turned slowly to see a young girl who remarkably resembled Tsunade. 

With a start, Naruto jumped up and promptly fell to the tiled floor with a solid 'thump.' "Wh-wh-who are you?!" 

"Shhh," she placed a delicate finger to her pursed lips. "What did you see?" She had rounded the bed and stood over Naruto, her arms crossed against her chest and a look of pure curiosity on her face. 

"Whattaya mean?" Her soft giggle made his skin crawl. He had heard that sound before somewhere, but couldn't quite place it. She bent down and was staring fixedly at something on the floor near him. "What?!" Naruto begged with a touch of annoyance. 

The girl laughed again and pointed at where she had been looking. "Well, it had to have been pretty good for you to be sporting that." He looked down and with a flush of embarrassment quickly pulled his sheet over his lower half. Despite the fact he was wearing pajamas, it was still obvious that he was quite aroused. She laughed again. 

"Look," he began not attempting to restrain his anger. "Why are you here?" She shrugged and walked over to the far side of the room, where the windows looked out over the rooftops of Konoha. 

"You were dreaming of Sasuke. What if I told you that it could be real?" His anger vanished at once. The prospect of actually having what he had experienced would be wonderful, but he knew there was a catch. This person was not to be trusted, but he wasn't sure why he asked her how. The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, and her smile showed that she could tell he regretted asking. "Easy. The other Sasuke loves you." 

"No, not me -- he loves _his_ Naruto. I won't take that away from him. I may not understand a lot of things, but I do know that it's not healthy to replace the dead with a duplicate." A moment of annoyance flashed across her face, but she quickly hid it with a saccharine sweet smile. 

"Well, it's your loss, because the other Sasuke doesn't like boys. He'd rather have a girl warm his bed." Her grin turned sinister as Naruto slowly lowered his head in an attempt to hide his disappointment. However, at the sound of the next words spoken, his head snapped back up and his stomach felt as if it were trying to turn itself inside out. The girl smiled brighter than she had yet as she spoke, "Namely -- Sakura." 

A soft grunting sound issued from his mouth, he was speechless. The girl threw her head back and laughed. "Oh yes, Naruto. I'm sure you've noticed how much closer they've been since Sasuke came back." Images flitted across his mind of Sasuke and Sakura huddled together laughing. Of the two talking and then stopping as soon as Naruto came close. The girl was right, they didn't want him in the circle. "See. You've known it all along. That was why you ended up in Tokyo with the other Sasuke. He wants you. The other does not." 

It felt as if his heart had been ripped from his chest. He could barely breathe. Why hadn't Sakura or Sasuke told him?! It wasn't as if he would stand in their way, surely they had known that. Although, would he have felt crushed then? Would he have known that he loved Sasuke above all others at that time? He looked up, a question ready on his mouth, when he saw the girl vanish out the open window. Slowly, Naruto pulled himself onto his feet, and ran to the spot which she had just vacated. She was nowhere to be found, but if his senses had been right, she was quite powerful. More than likely, she was miles away by now. 

With a heavy sigh, Naruto walked back to his bed and sat down with his back to the door. The bright sunshine streaming into his room seemed to mock his feelings. He needed to talk to Sasuke, but he was away on a mission. Naruto refused to talk to Sakura, he was too angry with her. So he would just have to wait until the team returned. A soft knock pulled him from his thoughts, and he quietly bade the person to come in. 

The door swung open and closed softly. "I brought you some ramen. Well, I had to sneak it in." Naruto's head whipped around at the sound of the deep voice. It was Sasuke -- the one from Japan. 

"Sa-sasuke!" Naruto beamed with joy. Suddenly his heart felt lighter to see this person standing so close by. Hope began to fill him as he gazed into those familiar dark brown eyes. Sasuke smiled at him as he sat down beside the bed, the bag containing the ramen bowl held out for Naruto. 

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better." 

Naruto paused in the opening of the take-out bag. He wasn't actually feeling better, just a bit relieved that he had this Sasuke to speak with. To see what he thought of his dreams. "Not really," he began slowly. "I -- Sasuke, I've been having some odd dreams." 

Sasuke's brow drew together as he watched Naruto. He wasn't looking at him, a sign that Naruto was worried about something. With a soft chuckle Sasuke reached out a comforting hand. "You know you can tell me anything. I'm not sure what the Sasuke you grew up with would say, but I'll listen to you no matter what." 

It was Naruto's turn to furrow his brow. "The other Sasuke would listen to me to! No matter how dumb what I had to say was -- he always listened." The last part had been but a mere whisper. That same feeling of a heavy weight resting upon his heart returned. It was true, Sasuke had been one of the best friend's in the whole world, and at the moment he dearly missed him even if technically he was sitting right next to him. 

"Sorry. I didn't mean anything by that. What's bothering you so much?" 

Naruto stared down at his bowl of ramen as he spoke. "I -- nothing." He raised his head and gave a convincing smile that anyone but Sasuke would have believed. Luckily for him, Sasuke chose not to push and the two eased into a casual conversation, but the sensations caused by the dreams and the words which the girl had spoken lingered inside Naruto's mind. He could easily tell this Sasuke, who was being very attentive and caring that he loved him, but it wasn't _him_ that he loved. Every time Naruto's brain would point that out to him, an empty feeling would well up inside his heart. This Sasuke belonged to the other Naruto, he was not nor had he ever been, his. 

"You love him." This bald statement caused Naruto to quickly stare down at his now empty ramen bowl. He couldn't meet the sadness which was filling those all too familiar eyes. 

"Yeah. I do -- although I didn't realize that I did. I always thought, that he was my best friend and nothing more, but -- I can't stand the thoughts of not having him near me. Those dreams, they've been about me and him. In them we're together, and I feel happy. It all feels right, but then when I wake up -- I ... well I feel sad. Like part of me is missing. 

"When you came in here, I thought about telling you that I wanted to be with you. Since I know that you like boys, and technically you _are_ Sasuke. But I couldn't do it. You're not the one I'm in love with." Naruto chanced a glance in the other's direction. His face was stone still, not a hint of expression upon its surface. Sasuke slowly rose from his seat and leaned over Naruto. His lean fingers slid under Naruto's chin and pushed his face toward his own. When his lips touched his own, Naruto could feel the sadness and the anguish of Sasuke's loss. It was impressive how he was holding it all in check, and yet the kiss did stir something deep within Naruto. He found himself giving into the gentle yet demanding pressure of Sasuke's full lips. Suddenly he yearned to heal those wounds of the other man's heart, so it didn't take much to encourage Naruto to lay back on the cot as Sasuke slowly climbed in and laid against him. 

-----

Sasuke's team rounded a tight corner which he could tell by the newly hollow sounds was obviously a large open area. "That's odd." Jiraiya was moving away from the group of three, from the sounds of his footfalls, Sasuke could tell that he seemed to have a destination. 

"Hmm ... it is odd that it's the only thing in this room. But most of what used to be here was probably moved out." Kakashi had begun to follow Jiraiya, and so Sasuke decided to as well. 

"What?" 

"Well, it's a piece of glass in an ornate standing frame. Almost like a mirror's frame, but it's an ordinary piece of glass." Kakashi was walking around the glass taking note of anything unusual, but finding nothing. 

Sasuke came to a stop about a foot away from the glass. Something told him that he needed to take off the piece of silk that protected his unseeing eyes. As he slowly opened his eyes, images began to flood through his mind. He could see Naruto smiling at him. Warmth spread through him at the sight of that smile. It felt as though it had been years since he had last glimpsed that bright happy image. Then someone moved into the scene next to Naruto, it was himself. Although, something wasn't right. Naruto was turning to him, and soon the two were embracing. Why did he suddenly feel rage and fear? He concentrated on the Sasuke holding Naruto. There was no tattoo upon his left arm. It wasn't him. 

Sasuke could feel his lungs constricting, and his heart felt as though it were trying to leap out of his chest. What was Naruto doing?! No! If he wanted him, why hadn't he said so?! "That's not me!! No!! Naruto!!" A fleeting image of two bodies twined together seared itself into his memory as he crumpled onto the dirt covered floor. 

"Mine was taken from me -- so I'm taking yours." The sound of his own voice echoed mockingly in his ears. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't. Why was he seeing this? Had being back inside this place somehow triggered a vision of his worse fears? 

"Sasuke!" Both Jiraiya and Kakashi were trying to help him back onto his feet. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. Embarrassed, he angrily pushed away the helping hands and stumbled across the floor until he reached a wall. There he leaned with his back to his companions and attempted to put a reign on his emotions. If whoever was behind everything was inside that place, Sasuke swore that he was going to find him -- and punish him.   
------------- 

_Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, TV-Tokyo, & Shounen Jump_


	11. Trapped

_Author's Notes_: Here's the next chapter, only two more to go!! We're finally getting near the end of this little story, that started with an evil plot bunny almost two years ago now. I hope everyone is enjoying it, and I know you guys'll love the last chapter. ;)  
I've been thinking about what my next story will be, and I've got two plots in my mind. 1) A fantasy tale, ala Romeo and Juliet. 2) A high school tale. The Great Teacher Uzumaki ending for Shippuuden kind of sparked my desire to write one -- I believe someone else did their take on the ending, but I'm not sure now. At any rate, it'll most likely not be the ending told over, but something completely different. I'd like input, so feel free to let me know which one you'd like to see more right now. :) 

Warnings: Spoilers for c295+, Sexuality   
Chapter Status: COMPLETE 

-----

From somewhere in the back of his mind, a scream was calling out to Naruto, but the feel of Sasuke's hands on his bare chest and the feel of his mouth against his own drowned out the voice. Slowly Sasuke slid his hand across the smooth surface of Naruto's chest, searching for the hard nib that he knew would drive his partner mad. Just as he expected Naruto let out a soft whimper and pressed his pelvis up when Sasuke's thick fingers tugged and pinched at the blonde's nipple. 

Naruto opened his mouth wider, giving Sasuke more freedom to hungrily explore his mouth. They were both aroused, but again, in the back of his mind, Naruto had the distinct feeling that something wasn't right. Neither boy noticed the quiet knock upon the door, nor the fact that the doorknob was slowly turning. The soft click of the door opening echoed like a gunshot through the small hospital room. Instantly, Naruto was brought back to his senses and began to push at Sasuke's chest. He turned his head away from that searching mouth, which only moments before had driven him mad with longing. "Stop!" Naruto's protest was squelched by Sasuke's persistent mouth and hand, which had slipped inside his pajama bottoms. A soft gasp sounded from the doorway, and Naruto peered sideways to see a startled Sakura standing in the doorway, and an even more surprised Lee behind her. 

"Maybe we should come back another time." Lee gently tugged on Sakura's hand, but she snapped hers away and glared at the two men in the bed. 

"Just what do you think you're doing!?" Her hands were on her hips and she was directing her anger toward Sasuke. 

"I -- well ..." he stared down at Naruto for a long moment and then with a grin slid out of the bed. "I got carried away. I apologize if I offended you." Sakura let out an undignified snort and continued to glower at him as he left the room. 

"Honestly!" With a huff she slammed the door on Sasuke and joined Lee, who was standing next to a thoroughly embarrassed Naruto. 

"I -- I'm sorry Sakura-chan, Lee. I --" 

Lee cut him off with a smile and a wave of his hand. "It's okay. Really. We brought you some goodies. It's mostly sweet stuff, but I threw in a few healthy things for you. Since we need you to get strong again." Naruto smiled at his friend and took the proffered basket and set it on the already overflowing bedside table. Sakura plopped herself down in the chair in which Sasuke had been sitting, and Lee pulled up the spare which sat next to the door. Once settled the group fell into an easy conversation, consisting mostly of Lee playing the moderator between Sakura and Naruto, since his anger toward Sakura still lingered. After an hour of bickering Lee seemed to not be able to take it any longer. "Will you two stop it!!" The two in question both stared dumbfounded at the usually joyful Lee. 

"Stop what?" Sakura asked innocently. 

"Arguing. You've been doing it ever since we arrived. Is there something that the two of you are mad at each other over? Or is there something that I as your --" He let out a loud, 'umph,' as Sakura elbowed him in the chest. "What was that for?!" 

Her laugh seemed to infuriate him even more. "Naruto doesn't need to be bothered with that right now." Naruto could feel the heat rising from her cheeks. 

"With what?" He winced as he realized that he had spoken with a growl. Naruto was afraid of what she might say, but at the same time he wanted to know what was going on. He hated being left in the dark. 

"Sakura and I are to be married," Lee beamed. 

Naruto sat up and gawked at his friends. "WHAT!?" He could feel his anger rising out of control. If she was marrying Lee, then what the hell had she been doing with Sasuke!? 

"Na-Naruto ... what's the matter with you?" Sakura was returning the glare which now adorned Naruto's face. 

"What's wrong with me!? I should be asking you that." 

"Hey!" In one swift movement, Lee was towering over Naruto and had his shirt collar in his fists. "Are you saying I'm not good enough for her!? We've been seeing each other now for five months. And we've been friends for longer. I think we're perfectly suited to each other!" 

"That's not what I mean. Sorry," he mumbled as Lee let go of him. "Look, Sakura can I talk to you alone please?" 

Sakura glanced up at Lee and then nodded to Naruto. She waited until Lee had finally decided that Naruto wasn't going to harm his fiancee, then left. "What did you want to talk about?" Her voice was purposely calm, so as not to upset Naruto once more. 

"I -- I know you've been seen with Sasuke. Talking and ... stuff. I was wondering --" Sakura began to laugh. It started quietly and then grew into great guffaws, causing Naruto to glare disgruntled at her. "What's so funny?" 

"You're -- jealous," she managed to say between gulps of air. Naruto huffed quietly, as he waited for her to calm down once more. "You are." 

"I'm not denying it. I just want to know what you two were doing!" 

"Talking about you." Sakura's smile was a gentle and understanding one. She knew what it felt like to be confused about the person you love. In fact, she had gone through the same problems with Lee. Right before she had admitted to herself that she was in love with him, she had found herself disliking Ten-Ten because she was simply standing near the man. "He loves you." 

"He ... does?" Sakura nodded as Naruto turned to gaze out the windows. "Is he okay, do you think?" 

"I'm sure he's fine. Even without his sight he's a very skilled nin." Even if she couldn't see his face, she knew that there was a heart warming smile upon his face. "Although, I want to know just what you thought you were doing in here with the other Sasuke?" 

The brilliant smile vanished and he slowly slumped down under his covers. "I'm tired." 

Sakura ripped the covers off of Naruto and glared down at him. "Like hell you are! Answer me Naruto!" 

"It wasn't me! I didn't start it! He grabbed me and started kissing me, I didn't know what to do. It was like he had ... I don't know, used a genjutsu on me or something to mess up my thinking," he ended by crossing his arms against his chest, his face scrunched up as he pondered exactly what had happened. 

"Oh." 

"Look, you may not believe me, but I know what happened. And really it wasn't anything at all. He only kissed me." Sakura sighed and sat down once more. 

"If that was all, but I don't trust him. If I were you I would be more alert when he was nearby." Naruto nodded absently as he laid down once more, his back to Sakura. "I'll be going now, you get some rest." He grunted as he listened to her footsteps move away from him. Once the door closed behind her, he tried to sleep, but his mind wouldn't allow him. He was too worried about _his_ Sasuke. 

-----

A loud explosion reverberated through the lab, pulling Sasuke from his angry thoughts. He could hear Kakashi running and then skidding to a halt. "A fight?" Jiraiya's deep whisper floated over to Sasuke's ears. His stomach began to knot up in fear for his comrades who were most likely much deeper inside the structure than his team. It had been his weakness which of course had caused them to move so slowly. 

Another boom sounded from close by and Kakashi reached out and grabbed Sasuke's hand. "Let's go." 

"I can move on my own," Sasuke bit out angrily. Kakashi let the other's hand fall and turned to follow Jiraiya. As Sasuke began to go after Kakashi and Jiraiya, a soft noise caught his attention. His head whipped around and he waited to hear it once more. After a few moments, he heard it again, it was a voice -- a familiar voice. He slowly walked back to where the glass stood, and a bright light caused him to squeeze his eyes shut. After it subsided, he slowly opened them to find that he could see the piece of glass, and that it had a large crack running through it's middle. To his surprise, a shimmering light formed in that crevice and soon spread out before the glass. Slowly the light began to take a shape. The first thing that came into focus was a bright boyish smile, shining back at him. Then gradually as if a painter was filling in the final touches of a masterpiece, those incredibly blue eyes appeared and began to stare deeply into his own. 

"Naruto," Sasuke breathed. "Are you -- really here?" His eyes ran over every inch of Naruto, taking in every detail. It felt like ages since he had been allowed to actually look upon him, but -- something seemed off. 

"Er ... no, _I'm_ not, technically. I came here to talk with you, about _your_ Naruto." Slightly confused, Sasuke's brow contorted as he contemplated just what that meant. If he wasn't Naruto ... why did he look so much like him? A cheery laugh slipped from the smiling mouth of the blonde, who had moved closer, they were almost touching now, which caused Sasuke's pulse to rapidly increase and his mind to go blank. "You know the other Sasuke? ... I'm his Naruto. The one from Tokyo." 

The only response Sasuke could form was a choked grunt. He closed his eyes in an attempt to clear his mind, and when he opened them once more, he stared intensely at the blonde; it was then that he realized what had seemed off about him. He was in fact shorter than the Naruto he was used to, and there were some subtle but definite differences. He was telling the truth, this _was_ the other Naruto. Only one question came to mind at this realization, "Why are you here?" 

"Because ... you see when the other Naruto was pulled into my world it, well it threw everything off balance." He glanced down at his fidgeting hands and then back up, a somber expression upon his face. "I need you to fix it. My Sasuke ... he's --" A thump caused Sasuke to turn toward the entryway. To his amazement, his eyesight still worked, and he could see a young girl with blonde hair glaring back at him. He was stricken by how much she resembled the Godaime. 

"You shouldn't be here!" Her violent whisper echoed angrily off the rough walls. Her hands were fisted at her sides and it looked as if she were near tears. "I -- I thought, no ... this isn't right!" 

"What's not --" Before he could finish a familiar laugh drifted to his ears and sent chills down his spine. 

"Sasuke!" Naruto's voice broke through the distant sounds of laughter. "Listen, I have to restore something to you ... you'll be borrowing some strength from me for a while. Promise you'll use it well." 

Sasuke faced Naruto and nodded. A warmth began to flow into his chest and slowly moved upward, pooling in his once again unseeing eyes. His eyelids closed involuntarily as the warmth turned into a burning sensation. With a soft cry, Sasuke fell to his knees, his hands covering his eyes, which felt as if they were on fire. After only moments, the pain disappeared and with great care, he slowly opened his eyes. At first everything was slightly blurry, then the room seemed to spring into focus. With a rush of hope and joy, he realized that he had his eyes back, and the sharingan. Shouts drifted to his ears and he hastily ran to the aid of his companions. Leaving the young girl alone. 

She stood watching his back as he disappeared down the long and dark corridor. "He's down there ... waiting for you. I'd not be in such a rush to get there if I were you." The girl plopped down cross legged before the glass, and rested her chin in her hand, an angry pout upon her usually cherubic face. She let out a heavy sigh, as she spoke to the room at large. "He won't be pleased with me, since you've got your eyes back. Maybe it's not too late for me to join the other side." She glanced at the glass. "It's all your fault. If he had just kept you away where no one could find you ... then he'd still be blind and master could use him so very easily. But, no. Now he's going to be pissed, and it'll be all _my_ fault." 

Sasuke skidded to a halt before the room from which the laughter was pouring into the corridor. He hesitated for a moment, afraid of what he might find once he entered the room. "Hasn't anyone told you that it's rude to hover in doorways, Sasuke-kun." A shiver ran down Sasuke's spine as Orochimaru drawled out his name. A gust of wind threw the door open wide, revealing a darkened room lit by only two candelabras, which sat on either side of a large oaken chair. Slumped in the chair, his eyes dancing with ill repressed joy, was Orochimaru. He rose and glided over to where Sasuke stood, frozen. "It's been a while, boy." 

"Orochimaru." A sly smile slid across the ashen face of the other man. Draping his long arm across Sasuke's shoulders, Orochimaru led him over to the lone chair. 

"I want to say that I have no hard feelings toward you. I was quite impressed with your ability to put a stop to my body transfer jutsu." Sasuke grunted softly. "I see you've not changed much," he stated with a wide grin. "I assume you'd like to know what's going on?" 

"That'd be lovely." He was offered the seat, but glared grumpily at Orochimaru, until he shrugged and plopped back onto its cushioned surface. 

"What would you say if I told you that none of this had anything to do with you?" 

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I'd say that I'm not really all that surprised, but you must have your reasons for using me." 

"I do." Orochimaru peered at Sasuke behind slitted lids. He had started to move carefully around the room, inspecting every inch of it, but all the while keeping those sharp red sharingan eyes on Orochimaru. "You've changed." This simple statement caused Sasuke to freeze in his movements. That same chill ran through him as he turned to fully face the other man. "Before you were so eager for power. Now you seem complacent ... could it be -- love?" Sasuke's stomach constricted in absolute fear. Naruto was in trouble, that was what all this had been about. He turned and ran for the door, but it slammed before he reached it. No matter how hard he pulled on the handle, the heavy portal wouldn't open again. As he tried to find a weakness in the door, Orochimaru's laugh sounded shrilly from just behind him. "If you'd like, you can check on Naruto-kun. I'll just have my little clone bring the yomigae no kagami." 

"The resurrection mirror? You mean that piece of glass?" Orochimaru merely smiled at Sasuke as he snapped his fingers. A crackling noise, like that of a distant clap of thunder, sounded from the far corner of the room, and as the smoke cleared, and the same young girl who had warned Sasuke earlier appeared. 

"Yes, master?" She was visibly shaking as she stood before them her head lowered, carefully not to making eye contact with Orochimaru. 

"Fetch the mirror." Her small body jerked as if someone had pinched her, and with a bow she vanished again with the same noise. 

"That was a space distortion jutsu. She's too young to be able to do that." Sasuke turned on Orochimaru, the strong urge to do away with him that moment fighting against his desire to learn the truth. 

"Well, she's like you. One of my glorious creations." 

"You didn't make me," Sasuke's soft voice held a threatening edge to it which Orochimaru simply laughed at. 

"I did. You used me to gain your strength ... because of that, you are more like me than you thought." The snakelike eyes gleamed at Sasuke, who knew that Orochimaru had seen this weakness in him. Certainly, Sasuke had held his own will and mind throughout his time with him, but there had always been a dark corner of his mind which housed the fear that he was very similar to Orochimaru. "You should take a look in the mirror, Sasuke-kun." 

Cautiously, Sasuke stepped before the glass. He could see straight through it, the only thing blocking his vision was the crack which ran vertically down its center. "But it's just a piece of broken glass." 

"It's much more than that, my dear Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru moved around the frame and touched a hand to a corner. As before a shimmering light began to glow from within the fissure. This time however, Naruto did not appear. Instead Sasuke was faced with himself. On one side of the crack, he was tall and broad shouldered, his sharingan glowed back at him in the dim candle light. The other side, showed a much different Sasuke. He was somewhat shorter, and of a more slight build. His ebony eye shined with mischief, and the grin on his face made Sasuke's blood curdle in fear. "He's you." 

"No, that's the Sasuke from Japan. He's not me." Sasuke pushed back the rising sense of panic within him. He felt as though he was going mad. The two of them did look alike, but it wasn't him on that side. 

"That's where you're wrong. He is you, but he holds what you want. Your desire to openly love Naruto." The images which the mirror had shown him before rushed to the front of Sasuke's mind. If the Japanese Sasuke was a reflection of himself, then did that mean that what he had been presented with earlier was in fact true? Had Naruto given his heart to the other Sasuke because he wasn't reserved with his feelings? The horrifying thought that Naruto had done things with the other Sasuke while he had been away caused a physical reaction within him. He doubled over heaving and retching, trying hopelessly to banish the putrid images from his mind. It couldn't be true, it just couldn't. "I see you find this all horribly distressing." Orochimaru stood over Sasuke, who glanced up as he tossed his head back with a loud, mad cackle. 

"Why? Why -- are you ... showing this to me?" Sasuke was desperately fighting back the emotions which were threatening to break free. He wouldn't give Orochimaru any more perverse pleasure from seeing him in such a state, but he had to know. Was this about him, or was it about Naruto? 

Orochimaru strode calmly around the 'mirror,' while he pulled thoughtfully at his chin. "You have no need to ask. You'll see soon, Sasuke-kun. Yes very soon." 

Sasuke's eyes drifted back up to the 'mirror,' where his broken reflection smiled wickedly back at him. Orochimaru didn't have to tell him, he knew ... this whole plan was to get Naruto. He had merely been a pawn. 

-----

Naruto stretched his arms wide as he emerged from the hospital. Sasuke had been gone now for a week, surely he was coming back soon; however there had been no word from his team. Naruto wasn't worried, but he had hoped to see him when he had been released. "Naruto!" Sakura and Lee were walking up the road to join him, both waving jovially in greeting. 

"Hey guys!" Naruto jogged happily, meeting them halfway. "Have you heard anything?" Lee and Sakura exchanged a concerned look, which deflated Naruto's joy a bit. "If something's happened --" 

Sakura quickly cut in with a half-smile and a wave of her hand. "No, not really. It's just -- they're taking a bit longer than was expected is all. When they reached the lab, communications were cut off due to the material which the structure was built out of. So ... we've not heard anything since they entered yesterday." 

"Oh." 

As Naruto's shoulders slumped, Sakura's mind raced to try and think of some way to cheer him up, when Sasuke's voice rang out from behind her. "Naruto!!" Both Lee and Sakura made a face before they turned with smiles to the Japanese Sasuke. "Why didn't you guys tell me that it was today he was getting out? Tsunade-san just told me." A low growl slipped between Sakura's gritted teeth, causing Sasuke to raise his eyebrow in puzzlement. 

"Sorry, we thought we did," Lee chuckled softly, anything to break the suddenly rising tension between his fiancee and Sasuke, but it seemed that the other boy wasn't very concerned as he smirked at Naruto instead of fighting Sakura. 

"Well, it doesn't matter ... I'm here now. Come on Naruto, I'll take you home. Just -- um," he glanced around at the unfamiliar buildings, then turned a sheepish grin to the blonde. "You'll have to direct me though." 

"Sure." Naruto's face lit up in a smile, as if he had long forgotten about the other Sasuke's absence. 

"Bu -- but ... Naruto, we were going to take you for ramen, right Lee?" She elbowed the one in question, who grunted loudly as he agreed. 

"Well," Naruto glanced amongst his friends, and then smiled at Sakura. "You know I could never pass up free ramen!" Naruto, Sakura, and Lee all set off in the direction of the Ichiraku Ramen stand, but Sasuke lingered for a moment. His eyes fixed upon Naruto's back, and a blank expression upon his face. Naruto turned to him and called out his name, which seemed to bring him back to his senses. 

"Coming!" Sakura glanced over her shoulder and frowned at Sasuke. There was definitely something odd with him. He suddenly seemed so friendly and kind, nothing like the arrogant Sasuke she was used to, nor like the way he had behaved when the two had first met. She tugged at Lee's hand pulling him a little behind Sasuke and Naruto and cupped her hand to her mouth. 

"Say, do you think there's something odd about this Sasuke?" 

"Yes I do. But I can't put my finger on it ... and of course walking in on the two of them yesterday --" 

"Sasuke, _our_ Sasuke is in love with Naruto. But him ... I don't trust him at all. There's this evil aura around him or something." 

"I agree. Let's try and keep them apart for as long as possible." 

"Good idea." The two speeded up and joined Sasuke and Naruto, Sakura squeezing herself in-between the two boys. She received a nasty look from Sasuke, but Naruto seemed to not mind at all. Lee attempted to drag Sasuke into conversation about his hometown, but he gave only curt answers. His eyes wouldn't leave Naruto. 

Throughout dinner the group sat together, Sakura and Lee between Sasuke and Naruto, yet Sasuke wouldn't carry on a conversation with anyone. He simply gazed at Naruto with a dazed expression. After they finished eating, Sakura and Lee had run out of ways to stall them from going home. "Well, I guess this is goodnight guys." Naruto's smile was bright as he gazed upon his friends. 

"Um, yeah ... look -- Naruto, can I talk to you a second?" Sakura dragged him away from Sasuke before he could even respond to her request. "Keep your doors and windows locked. Under no circumstances are you to let _that_ Sasuke into your apartment." 

Naruto's laugh was broken as he realized she wasn't joking. "Sakura, you're starting to worry me. I don't think he's trouble. Sure he kissed me and well," his face turned a bright shade of scarlet and it was a second or two before he was able to speak once more. "Look, he's not dangerous. I can handle myself, don't worry about me. I'm not defenseless." 

"Then how come he was able to molest you yesterday? Hmm?" 

"I said I can take care of myself." Naruto walked back to Sasuke and Lee and bade them both goodnight and then marched off in the direction of his apartment. After he vanished from sight, Sasuke turned in the opposite direction and left for Kakashi's apartment. 

"Phew, I thought for certain he was going after Naruto." 

Lee reached out and squeezed Sakura's hand. "They'll be alright. Naruto's telling the truth, I believe he can take care of himself. Especially against a non-nin." 

-----

Naruto closed the door behind him and slowly sunk to the floor. He leaned his head back against the cool aluminum and stared at his slightly cracked ceiling. The small apartment was dark, and the doors to both his and Sasuke's rooms were shut. He missed his presence there. He missed him. Naruto rose back to his feet and rested his hand on the doorknob. If he went there, and something happened he would only have himself to blame. Although, talking never hurt anyone, and truthfully that was what he wanted at that moment, company. 

When he opened the door, he was surprised to see Sasuke standing before him. "Sa-Sasuke. I was just coming to see ... you." His voice trailed off as Sasuke pushed his way into the apartment. He jerked the door out of Naruto's hand and slammed it shut. "Hey! What's with you?" Sasuke stalked Naruto, as he backed up against the opposite wall, and pinned the blonde between his outstretched arms. The moment Sasuke's mouth crushed his, Naruto forgot everything. All he could think about was the sensation of being swept away by Sasuke. 

Oranges and reds spilled across the floor as the sunset finally broke through the small slits in the window blinds, subtlety illuminating the room. "I want you," Sasuke breathed against Naruto's bruised lips. The new light warmed the browns of Sasuke's eyes. He knew that he couldn't say no to him, so he sighed and sagged against the warmth of the other man, missing the triumphant smirk upon Sasuke's face. 

Sasuke pushed up on the blonde's chin with a strong finger and their mouths slid hungrily into place once more. The last coherent thought which passed through Naruto's mind was that it hadn't been conversation he had been seeking, but this same enveloping passion which he had experienced just the day prior.   
--------------------- 

_Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, TV-Tokyo, & Shounen Jump_


	12. Broken Reflections

_Author's Notes_: Well, here is the next to last chapter. I've enjoyed writing this story immensely and look forward to the next one.  
I have decided that the next story will be a high school AU tale with a twist. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as they did this one! 

Warnings: Spoilers for c295+, Language, Small Lime Scene, Sexuality  
Chapter Status: COMPLETE

-----

_"Naruto -- I --" Sasuke mumbled, his eyes averted from Naruto's intense gaze. _

_It was hard seeing Sasuke defeated, he had always been so strong, so in control. This new ashamed version of him made Naruto's chest constrict with pain; the sight forced him to look away. "No -- don't. I did what I did because you're the person I looked up to the most. Because you're my best friend and my rival. If you had died ... then who would push me to better myself?" _

_Sasuke cringed at the warmth and love etched into each word Naruto had spoken. Somehow when he had left, he had thought that would be it, that he wouldn't have to face his best friend's feelings. However, when Itachi had repented, had in fact given his own life to protect his little brother ... everything Sasuke had thought and planned changed. _

_Naruto raised his blue eyes to the lowered dark eyes of Sasuke. He waited patiently for his friend to look up, and when he did, Sasuke immediately regretted doing so. There deep within those bright blue eyes lay a sadness that was beyond words. One that he could not begin to fathom how to heal. It was in that moment that Sasuke experienced a new and frighteningly strong emotion. He wanted to wrap Naruto up in his arms and spend the rest of his life attempting to heal those wounds. As he contemplated just what exactly those feelings meant, Naruto's soft voice broke through and caused him to jump slightly. "Sasuke, let's start over. I think that's the best path to take." _

_With a soft grunt, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's proffered hand, and the two shook on the deal. Sasuke knew that no matter the reception he received from the village, Naruto at least understood his need to put the stupid decisions which he had made behind him._

-----

From his position before the 'mirror,' Sasuke peered sideways at Orochimaru, who had resumed his perch upon the chair. He had to calm his mind and think. There _had_ to be a way out of that room and back to Naruto. He had to get to him before -- but before what? What exactly was it that Orochimaru was planning? The sick feeling inside Sasuke's stomach intensified and made it difficult for him to relax enough to think clearly. "Tch ... tch. Problems?" At the sound of Orochimaru's voice, Sasuke's mind instantly cleared. A warmth began to spread through him, and even though he could not explain it, he could hear Naruto's voice whispering softly in his ear, and suddenly he became aware of Orochimaru's plans. His laugh began softly, but slowly grew as his enemy's face contorted into a confused expression.

"I have to say that you have some twisted ways to manipulate people," Sasuke began in a strong and cocky voice. "First it was my lust for revenge -- now you're using my lust for another person." He slowly turned and faced his adversary whose cold eyes were glowing with interest back at him. "You've trapped me here so that the other Sasuke can manipulate Naruto." He watched with satisfaction as Orochimaru slowly pushed himself into a more upright position and cocked an curious eyebrow at Sasuke. "It would've worked, if it hadn't been for a few minor flaws." Sasuke walked casually over to the far wall, opposite Orochimaru, and leaned with a carefree attitude against its rough surface. "You must have worked long and hard on that jutsu you developed. The one which looked inside Naruto's mind to find that which he wasn't even aware of. Then you used a jutsu to manipulate space and time so you could send Naruto to that other world. Where you hoped Naruto would become so wrapped up in it -- and a Sasuke who openly loved him -- he'd never want to leave. However, -- and this is your first flaw -- you didn't realize there had already been a Naruto in that world. The second flaw -- Naruto didn't want to stay there. He wanted to come home, and at any cost."

Upon Sasuke's finishing, Orochimaru's face lit with a bright smile, one of victory. "It may have been flawed, but it seems to have done it's trick. You are here, while Naruto is being swept away by the other Sasuke."

"So, your plan all along was to kill Naruto. I suppose that before I prevented you from taking over my body ... you made a clone of yourself? And you would be that clone, right?" Orochimaru's smile twitched slightly as he nodded slowly. "So then I can presume that you and those two unfortunate girls were left behind in case he died before Naruto was killed?" Again, a slight nod was his response. Sasuke's heart was beating fast, if Orochimaru had made one clone, who was to say he hadn't made a whole army? Naruto's voice once more whispered in his head, bringing a touch of clarity to the situation. "So, you were to awaken at a certain time? Just for Naruto's destruction." This time Sasuke didn't wait for the answer. He suddenly felt more confident in what he was saying; Orochimaru had left a clone behind to punish the one person he couldn't kill without dying himself -- Naruto. "After awakening, you then waited for the opportune moment to capture the man who had caused most of your suffering. The one person who had constantly stood in your way. You must blame him for my inability to follow you and blindly allow you to take over my body. I'll tell you now, Orochimaru -- that was my own choice. Naruto had no part in it." Orochimaru shifted uncomfortably in his chair as his face began to contort with rising anger. "I have to applaud you. It was an excellent plan, trying to send Naruto as far away as possible. The only thing I don't understand is why? Why didn't you just kill him?"

Orochimaru slowly rose from his seat and began to close the gap between the two. "Because my _dear_ Sasuke-kun, I wanted him to suffer. I wanted him to think you had truly and finally betrayed him. He had to suffer the greatest pain imaginable.

"I may be a mere clone, but I was told of how the two of you destroyed me. So, I came up with a brilliant plan ... I sent him away to a world where the kyuubi could not exists. Unlike what you believe, the only flaw in my plan was that Naruto didn't seem to want to stay. It bothered him that Sasuke was pursuing him ... that was when he ruined everything. He found the kink in my jutsu -- the image of myself which needed to be in that world as well. I don't know how he did it, but he found how to leave that world."

"So, you're admitting a mistake? I'm surprised Orochimaru." With a growl of pure hatred, Orochimaru leapt forward and with a flick of his wrist, sent three snakes shooting from his arm toward Sasuke, who deftly jumped sideways and sent his own snakes after his opponent. Orochimaru missed by inches, but wouldn't be deterred. He moved aside to escape Sasuke's attack and easily manipulated the snakes toward his foe. Naruto's voice began to scream inside Sasuke's head, begging him to use all his power. Reluctantly and with a growl he agreed. He had to use it -- there was no other way, and at the moment going blind once more was the least of his worries.

The black wheels in Sasuke's eyes began to spin as he caught Orochimaru in the mangekyou. Soon screams filled the small room, amidst begging and whimpering for release. "You may have taken my eyes from me, but I **won't** let you kill Naruto -- or use the other Sasuke for your evil. He's the true innocent which you involved this time around. You'll die here and now, and I promise you I'll find the others -- if there are any -- and erase them from existence." Sasuke stalked toward the man cowering on the floor. He reached into his hip bag and pulled out his kunai. With one swift and deep swipe, he lacerated Orochimaru's throat. Devoid of spirit, the body slumped quietly onto the dirty floor. With a soft scream of her own, the young girl dashed over to her fallen master, knelt, and carefully lifted his nearly severed head onto her bent knees. "How could you!?" Sasuke glared at her for a few moments, then allowed his face to soften a bit. She was crying, and he could imagine that she had viewed Orochimaru somewhat like her father. It was only natural for her to be upset over his death, even if the world was better for it. After a few moments of her tears, she ran her sleeve across her eyes, being careful not to get any of the blood which was on her small hands into them. When she looked up, she was surprisingly calm. "You still have the question of how he did it, don't you?"

"Yes, I do."

"It was the resurrection mirror. It's made of an ore which amplifies a person's chakra. It was how he was able to send Naruto to another world. It was in that shed that day ..."

Sasuke glanced curiously at the large crack and then back at the small girl. "But it's broken, " he felt silly for such an obvious statement, but the girl seemed genuine about her explanation.

"It's not _broken_. Though, it is cracked, but not broken. That was what allowed Orochimaru-sama to find the other you. Yours and Naruto's reflections in that world -- and break them." She gazed with blank eyes at the 'mirror.' "He was so happy that day when he found this. He thought he'd finally beat you and Naruto." She sniffled loudly. "May I ask a favor?"

"Of course." It was all he could do to help her. She was after all going to be placed in custody as soon as the others arrived.

"Send the other Sasuke back before it's too late."

"Too late?"

"Before he breaks his reflection in this world." Sasuke stood confused for a moment, and then simply pointed to himself.

"You mean me?" The girl nodded solemnly.

"I do mean you. I regret this, but we will never meet again. He was the only clone, so you need not worry anymore about this man. I must bid you farewell. May the bit of doubt I placed in Naruto's mind, allow him to realize his true feelings. Goodbye." Just as her sister had done, the young girl opened her mouth and bit down upon her tongue. Sasuke rushed forward in an attempt to stop her, but was too late. Her body began to shake with seizures, and then she fell over, her torso blocking her beloved master's horrorstricken face.

"Sasuke!!" A familiar voice called out to him from the other side of the door.

"Kakashi-sensei! I can't open it, I've tried."

"Stand back then." There were faint sounds of scuffling, then the familiar sounds of the chidori being activated. Sasuke suddenly felt dense for not thinking of using that on the door, but the feeling quickly passed. He needed to focus on protecting Naruto, and himself. Although, he had to duck as bits of wall and door flew across the room, he was running toward the newly formed doorway before the dust had even settled. The others had to jump quickly out of his way, or take the risk of being run over.

As Sasuke ran toward the entrance he called out over his shoulder to the others, "We have to get back to Konoha -- immediately!"

"Sasuke, wait -- what happened?"

"I'll explain later, Kakashi. We have to move out now, or --" Or? He wasn't even aware of what the 'or' was. The answer which the young girl had left him with was extremely cryptic, and made his insides churn with worry. The others glanced at each other and followed the quickly disappearing figure of Sasuke.

-----

His hands were all over him. Each place that had been lovingly caressed was then nipped and kissed by the mouth which was driving all rational thought from him. Naruto lay upon the fluffy soft surface of his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Sasuke had led him into that room, and had quickly removed most of his clothing. He was laying in only his boxers, and was loving every minute of it. How could he have been so stupid? _This_ was what he had wanted so badly from Sasuke all these years. It wasn't only to be acknowledge for being a good ninja, but for much much more. His body stirred hungrily, and he reached out to Sasuke's shoulders, trying to urge him lower.

Sasuke raised his head and smirked up at the lust filled face of his lover. He ran his hand along the elastic waistband of Naruto's boxers, and then tugged it down over his small, round butt cheek. His fingers slid lightly along its curve, causing pants and small noises to escape Naruto's mouth. With an evil grin, Sasuke ran his forefinger down the small divide leading to the anus. He pressed up against that small hole, eliciting a small groan of surprise from the other man. "I can't believe I get your virginity twice, I'm rather lucky" Sasuke's voice may have been a whisper, but to Naruto it was a thunderous cry of warning. He promptly pushed Sasuke away and rolled off the bed, correcting the position of his shorts as he did so. "What's wrong?" Sasuke asked in a thick voice. He looked rather confused, which made Naruto even more angry with him.

"How dare you!"

"What do you mean!?" Sasuke rose from the bed and quickly closed the distance between the two; Naruto, however, did not back away this time.

"I mean, how can you defile _your_ Naruto's memory by switching to me!?" He crossed his arms against his heaving chest and glared back at the Japanese Sasuke.

"I'm not. You're mine. _My_ Naruto. I've already told you -- that other guy ... he doesn't want you, but I do."

"You're not healthy!" Naruto screamed in his face. "I _cannot_, _will_ not be a replacement for your dead love! I'm sorry, but like it or not ... it's not right for you to do so. Now I want you to leave." He stubbornly struck a pose of pointing at the door, hoping that in his immovability, Sasuke would realize he was serious. This Sasuke couldn't defend himself against ninja attacks, but if he tried to touch him one more time, he wouldn't stop his natural reflexes.

Sasuke stared slightly slack-jawed at Naruto. He could've kicked him in the balls and it wouldn't have hurt half as much as his rejection. The warmth which had spread through him only moments before left him in a flood, replaced by emptiness and a deep sadness. He had lost Naruto not once, but twice. "I --" Sasuke couldn't find it in himself to apologize for his behavior. So it was with one last longing look at Naruto, that he turned and left.

Naruto locked the door behind Sasuke's retreating figure, and slid down against its metallic surface. "Sasuke, I hope you come back soon."

-----

Sasuke came to a stop before the large doors that marked the entrance into Konoha. He caught himself whispering a small prayer that Naruto was still safe, and then slowly walked through the gateway. "_Sasuke ... Sasuke there's something you should know._" Naruto's voice echoed from deep inside his head, and caused him to pause. "_Orochimaru meant what he said. The other Sasuke being here ... it's bad for you. I died because your Naruto was sent into my world. I can only imagine that if he stays, then one of you must die._"

"I've figured that much out already, Naruto. I'm surprised you didn't know that ... since you're inside my head," Sasuke mumbled as he glanced around in the hopes that no one was watching.

"_Sorry, I wasn't paying attention._" Sasuke's laugh echoed off the surface of the nearby buildings. It didn't matter which world he was in, Naruto would always be Naruto.

Much later, Kakashi and the rest of the team arrived, out of breath and exhausted. "He could've stopped more than he did," Kiba complained bitterly.

"Kiba, he's worried about Naruto." Kakashi stared at the empty gates, wondering if Sasuke had made it in time.

"A little _too_ worried if you ask me."

"Kiba, what if it was Hinata? You would've been in just as much of a hurry as he." Neiji gazed at Kiba with his usual overly perceptive eyes.

"That's different!" Kiba protested with an angry huff.

"Now, now ... nothing stands in the way of love kids." Jiraiya strode between the two men, and draped his arm around Kiba's stiff shoulders.

"Especially social stigmas," Kakashi mumbled, and then looked embarrassed as he realized that he was being stared at by the others.

"You sound as if you've heard this argument before." Jiraiya moved away from Kiba and closed the distance between himself and Kakashi. "I'd wager that you yourself have given the argument against two of the same sex being together."

"Could we _not_ talk about this?" Kiba really had no patience to hear the same conversation which he had heard Hinata and Sakura share many times. Sadly, it always seemed that they liked to bring up the subject of Naruto and Sasuke, as well as Kakashi and Iruka while _he_ was present.

"Kiba, I understand you're feelings. I myself am not one who understands it, but if they love each other ... we have no right to say anything against it." With that simple statement, Neiji had silenced everyone. They all turned to face him, each one with a solemn expression upon their face. Including the silent Shino.

"Say, Shino, what do you make of this?"

"If they love one another, then so be it. Love is too precious to waste."

Kiba gave a half shrug and grinned. "I s'pose you're right."

Sasuke ran through the village, ignoring the many greetings and questions from the people he passed. He had to get to Naruto, and he had to get there immediately. Hopefully he was still at home, since it was early morning Sasuke doubted he'd even be awake yet. When he reached Naruto's apartment building, he bounded up the stairs three at a time. "Naruto!" He pounded heavily on the door to the apartment, praying the blonde would throw the door open. "_Please be home, please be home._" After what seemed like an eternity to him, the door swung open and there on the other side was Naruto, rubbing at his sleep filled eyes. Sasuke sank to his knees with relief.

"Sasuke? Are you okay?" Naruto was peering down at him with the most adorable puzzled expression that he had ever seen. Sasuke stood slowly and nodded.

"I'm fine. I -- I was afraid that you ... weren't."

"Huh?" Naruto stared askance at the dark headed man, wondering which Sasuke this really was. His eyes lowered to the other's left arm. If there was a tattoo there, then this was the Konoha Sasuke; otherwise, he needed to slam the door in this guy's face.

Carefully, Naruto reached out and gently tugged up Sasuke's sleeve. There in a deep purple-black was the tattoo which marked him as the safe Sasuke. A bright smile burst across Naruto's face as he threw his arms around his friend and gave him a fierce hug. "For a moment ... I thought -- I thought you were the other Sasuke. That he'd come back." Sasuke could feel that he was holding back his emotions so he wouldn't cry. That small fact caused small bursts of warmth inside of him. Slowly, Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto's strong frame and hugged back.

"Naruto, there's something I need to talk with you about. It's rather important." Naruto pulled away, but Sasuke grabbed one of his hands in his. The blonde's eyes dipped down to where their hands were joined and a small smile danced about his lips.

"Sure. There's something I need to tell you."

Sasuke's heart began to hammer against his chest. It was pumping so fast that he was sure Naruto could hear it. "Wha--what is it?"

Naruto tugged insistently on the other's hand and dragged him inside of the apartment. He lead Sasuke over to the couch and the two sat, their knees lightly touching. "I --" His face felt as if it were on fire. Was it possible to die from embarrassment?

"You?" Sasuke gently urged, even though he felt as if he was going to be sick at any moment.

"I ... loveyou," he said in a rush. After a moment or two of silence, Naruto cast his gaze in Sasuke's direction. From his stoic expression, it was impossible to tell what the other was feeling. "Well?"

"Well, I -- really you love me? As a ... friend, right? That's what you meant, right?"

Naruto sighed, completely exasperated with the clueless man. "You're just making this more difficult on purpose. Aren't you?"

"No, idiot. I -- I'm just ... afraid." For the first time, Naruto could see that Sasuke was not only afraid of his answer, but appeared to be just as embarrassed as he was.

"Afraid? I -- Sasuke I _love_ you. Not as a friend ... well, I do love you as a friend, but I -- want to be ... more." He whispered the last word, scared that if he said it any louder Sasuke may run.

"'_More_?' You want more from me? Than friendship?"

"Yes, dumbass. When I say I _love_ you, I mean that I want to kiss you and -- well ... more stuff." Naruto's face turned red once more, and he had to look away, causing him to miss the leer which Sasuke gave him.

"I like how you put that, idiot."

"Dumbass." Sasuke reached out and tipped Naruto's face up to kiss him. The embrace was fiery and passionate, every unspoken word and feeling was shared between them in that kiss. When they finally broke away, both men were slightly out of breath and fully aroused. "Sasuke, I --" Naruto cleared his throat trying to rid himself of the sudden heaviness in his voice. "Before we do any more, I need to tell you about something. It concerns the other Sasuke." He cringed as he felt Sasuke's body stiffen in anger. "Nothing bad happened! But, well he tried. I don't understand it myself, but he kissed me and I lost myself. I wanted him, until I realized that it was you I wanted ... not him."

"But you didn't sleep with him. Right?"

"Right!" Naruto nodded vigorously in an effort to reassure Sasuke, who smiled warmly at him.

"I hate to say this, but we need to go and speak with him." Naruto's bottom lip jutted out slightly in a pout.

"Oh, alright. He should be back at Kakashi-sensei's."

The Japanese Sasuke was standing outside of Kakashi's apartment building, speaking quietly with the jounin himself. Kakashi glanced up and waved at Sasuke and Naruto. "I see you found him in one piece," he stated simply with a light chuckle.

"We came to speak with Sasuke." The one in question presented a fierce glare for the Konoha Sasuke, but held a watery smile for Naruto. "Look, you have to go back. You can't stay here any longer."

Naruto leaned close to the Konoha Sasuke and whispered, "Sasuke, do you know _how_ to get him back?"

"Yes, now hush," Sasuke growled only loud enough for Naruto's ears.

The Japanese Sasuke answered quietly, his eyes trained on Naruto. "If I go back ... I'll be without Naruto once more. No, I'd rather like to stay, thank you." The Konoha Sasuke growled softly. He started to move aggressively toward the other Sasuke, but was stopped by the sound of Naruto's voice.

"_Sasuke, allow me to speak with him._" Sasuke closed his eyes, and as he reopened them, his whole demeanor noticeably changed. With a scowl on his face, he peered at the other Sasuke. "Sasuke," he took a deep breath before continuing. "YOU STUPID, FUCKING, MENTALLY RETARDED, MORON!! I know you miss me, but this is just ridiculous!! _He's_, **his**. Not _yours_. I died, yes. And I'm sorry that I left you alone -- that that creep Orochimaru, stole me from you. But the thing is, you can't _take_ what isn't yours ... anymore than you can stay here and mess things up for this Sasuke."

The Japanese Sasuke stood quietly for a moment, stunned. Then he subtly shook himself, and gazed at the other him. "Na-Naruto?"

"Yeah." The Konoha Sasuke slouched slightly and crossed his arms against his chest with an aggravated huff.

"So ... you're --"

"Dead, but talking to you in spirit, _Sasuke_," he dragged out his lover's name through clinched teeth, highly annoyed with his apparent lack of cognitive powers. To everyone's surprise -- and possibly distaste -- the Japanese Sasuke ran over to the other, and embraced him with a fierce kiss. The Naruto who was borrowing Sasuke's body, kissed the other back with equal passion. People walking down the street stopped and stared. Some made noises of disagreement, while a few girls giggled excitedly from somewhere nearby.

When the kiss ended, the Japanese Sasuke stepped back slightly and recovered his normal air of dignity. "Naruto, may I speak with Sasuke?"

"Sure." Again, the change in the Konoha Sasuke was visible. Soon the two men stood facing each other with alike stances and body language.

"What?"

"Kill me ... so I can be with Naruto." The Konoha Sasuke studied the other. He was obviously serious about his request, which caused him to chuckle softly. "Why are you laughing!?"

"Because, Naruto wants to hurt you right now. He thinks it's the -- how did he put it? 'Most boneheaded idea you've come up with yet.' I believe that's how he phrased it." The Japanese Sasuke pulled back his fist and plunged it into the smirking image of himself.

"Bastard! I don't ... I can't be alone! We had the rest of our lives before us. You don't understand." The anger flooded out of him with every word. An emptiness grew within his heart that threatened to overcome him at that moment, until the Konoha Naruto spoke up.

"But I do. I understand that. When Sasuke left ... there were times when it was like he had died. He was always just out of my reach and I wanted to bring him back so badly. I've seen death ... I know what it feels like to lose someone you care about deeply. It may be a bit different when it's your lover, but it's all essentially the same at its core.

"He'll always be with you in your heart. Don't throw away your life because of that -- he wouldn't want you to, because _I_ wouldn't want you to." The Japanese Sasuke's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"I guess you're right. So, tell me Sasuke, how do I return?"

"Through the mirror. A team was sent to retrieve it as soon as we returned. It'll be here in about three days."

The Japanese Sasuke nodded, and then turned to Naruto. "I'm glad to have gotten to be with you. It --"

"I hope you don't remember me. I hope you only remember _your_ Naruto, and the joy the two of you shared." They hugged briefly. It was with a heavy weight in his heart that Naruto watched the Japanese Sasuke go back inside Kakashi's apartment.

"He'll be alright." Kakashi smiled as he lay a reassuring hand upon Naruto's shoulder. "All of this has been very confusing to him, and only rightfully so."

"Naruto!! Sasuke!!" It was Sakura. She was running to meet them, a roll of parchment in her hand. "We've got -- a -- mission," she panted heavily.

"Great," Naruto grumbled. "What is it?"

"Well, it's fairly easy. Just an escort mission for a dignitary. He needs to leave Konoha and return to his village. It's a day and a half away."

"Fair enough. Kakashi, let Sasuke know where we've gone." Kakashi nodded in agreement with Sasuke's request and watched team seven head off for the entrance of Konoha.

----

"I guess this is goodbye," the Japanese Sasuke's smile was heartbreaking as he turned and faced the people who had come to see him off.

"Good luck." Sakura hugged him and then turned away to wipe at her moist eyes.

"Thank you all. I'm sorry that I messed things up. I truly am."

"Nah, it's okay. You helped me face my feelings for this guy," Naruto indicated a slightly disgruntled Sasuke, who was standing very close to him. "Besides, you're a good guy. Orochimaru had just messed with you a bit. Don't feel bad about it. You didn't do anything wrong." The Japanese Sasuke grunted softly as a reply, and then turned to face the mirror.

"_Sasuke, I have to leave as well ... I'm sorry._" The Konoha Sasuke grinned at the now familiar warmth of Naruto's spirit. He reassured him that it was okay. "_Listen there's something I must tell you -- your eyes. I'm afraid that I was the reason you've been able to see again. Once I go they'll --_"

"_It's okay. I already knew that. Go. You don't belong here, you need to go with the other Sasuke._" Sasuke felt the warmth slowly leave him. The room slowly began to fade, but not completely. He was able to see long enough to ensure that the other Sasuke had been able to leave through the mirror, then his vision faded completely.  
--------------------

TBC with the final chapter 


	13. All That I Need

_Author's Notes_: Here is the final chapter. I hope everyone enjoys it!  
This chapter has been edited due to content. 

Warnings: Sexuality, Lime Scene   
Chapter Status: COMPLETE 

-----

Sasuke closed the door quietly behind him, as his blood-shot eyes slowly surveyed the small central room. It was just as it had been when he had left with Naruto, even the empty ramen bowl still sat upon the table. How was he going to survive without the one person who had always been there for him? His mind drifted back to the first time he had met Naruto. A group of sixth year elementary students had been picking on him when the loud-mouth blonde boy decided to stick up for him. Sasuke had always hated violence and it had been hard for him to defend himself, but Naruto had helped. After that, the two were inseparable, but it wasn't until their second year of high school that they admitted to each other that they loved one another as more than friends. 

Even though the two men had only shared the apartment for a very brief time, Naruto's imprint was still there, and was more than enough to cause him grief. Sasuke had to leave. As he turned to walk back out the door, his phone rang. Puzzled, he picked it up and quietly said, 'hello.' 

"Ah, Sasuke, I've been trying to get ahold of you for the past thirty minutes." 

"Sakura?" Surprise was etched into his voice as he glanced down at the phone's base. On the small LCD screen the date shone up at him. It was the day after Naruto's accident. "That meant that the bowl isn't –" Sasuke dropped the phone and ran over to the table. The bowl was clean, it was one that hadn't been put away yet. He glanced around the kitchen area and at the boxes sitting open on the floor, he began to chuckle softly to himself. He felt like he was going mad. How had he skipped backwards through time? 

"SASUKE!!" Sakura's scream through the phone caused him to jump. He had forgotten about her. 

"Sorry, what did you want?" 

Sakura took a long breath as if she were calming herself. "You scared me, you know that? I was just checking up on you for one thing. The other thing was that I thought I was supposed to go with you to the –" The phone line crackled and her voice disappeared for a brief moment and then her voice came back without her knowing that her phone signal had cut out. "We were going together, right?" 

Sasuke smiled weakly. He needed to get out of the apartment, and even if it meant going somewhere loud and filled with people, it would be better than staying at home and being miserable. "Uh, sure. I just forgot was all." 

"Sasuke, are you sure you're okay?" 

"Yes. I'm just a bit tired." 

"Well, if you're sure. I'm outside at the bus stop." Sasuke grunted and slowly placed the receiver back in its place. With one last saddened look at the apartment, he turned to leave. 

Just as Sakura had said, she was standing next to the bus stop with Lee close by. They both had concerned expressions upon their faces and who could blame them? He had just lost the person whom he loved. It was a wonder they were wanting to take him out somewhere. So it was without saying a word, that he joined them in waiting for the bus. The small group stood quietly, Lee and Sakura both afraid to say anything to their friend. After a short wait, the bus pulled up to the stop and Sasuke was reminded of when he had first ridden with the Konoha Naruto. The memory brought a watery smile to his face, but he was careful to hide it from Sakura and Lee. They all boarded and then rode quietly to their destination. 

Sasuke stepped off the bus and then turned to his left, thinking that they were going to walk to the small restaurant across the street. "Sasuke where are you going?" Lee gazed after his friend, apparently puzzled by his behavior. 

"What?" 

"Sasuke, you really are out of it." Sakura grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the large white building to their right. Confused, Sasuke found himself staring open-mouthed at the building which they were entering. Once inside, Sasuke was left standing next to Lee as Sakura walked up to the receptionist. When she had finished speaking with her, the group walked to the elevators and rode up to the fourth floor. They traversed the long hallway and stopped before an open doorway where an all too familiar voice was talking with someone. 

"Yeah. No kidding! I thought I was a goner too, but luckily that guy's breaks were good." 

"True. I don't know what I'd do without my star pupil." 

"I'm not sure about _star pupil_, Iruka. You say that about most of your students." 

"Not so Kakashi-sensei! Iruka-sensei likes me because I always make class fun. Right, Iruka-sensei?" 

Iruka laughed lightly as Sasuke slowly walked inside the room. He was sitting in an armchair with Kakashi leaning against one of its arms, across from them lying in the bed was a heavily bandaged Naruto. 

"Na-Naruto," Sasuke's voice was a mere whisper, but everyone turned to him when he spoke. "How —" 

"How am I? I'm fine. I know it looks bad, but I'll survive!" His smile was so bright and infectious that Sasuke found himself returning the smile. If he was dreaming he hoped to never wake. Naruto was alive. 

"Maybe we should go. We've been here for a while now anyway." Kakashi smiled at the two boys and then walked quietly out of the room with Iruka. 

"We'll give you some alone time too." 

"But – Lee," Sakura pleaded softly, but with a stern look upon his face, Lee gently escorted his fiancée out of the room, the door shutting behind them with a soft click. 

Sasuke stood stoically staring at Naruto with an amazed expression. How was he alive? Suddenly nothing was making any sense. Just what was going on? Naruto smiled sheepishly as he watched Sasuke's face harden. "I didn't want you to say anything in front of everyone. If you did they might think you're crazy." 

Sasuke stood very still, afraid that if he moved, the illusion would be broken. "You – you remember?" 

"Not … everything. I just know that I was supposed to have died last night, but for some reason I didn't." 

Sasuke's feet seemed to finally unstuck themselves from the floor and he found himself moving toward Naruto, relief weighing heavily upon his heart. "But how? This can't be possible." 

"I know, I can't explain it either. I just remember suddenly waking up in lots of pain in front of that car. It hit me, but I didn't die. I guess maybe because there's only one of me here now." 

So this wasn't a dream. Naruto was alive and everything was going to be fine. "You're never going outside again." 

"Sasuke! Don't be such an ass. I'll be fine, and I promise not to jump out in front of cars anymore." 

"Good." Sasuke leaned over and crushed his lips hard and possessively against Naruto's. "I love you." Their breath mingled as he gently nipped at Naruto's swollen and slightly bruised mouth. 

"I love you too … even if you are a bit domineering and controlling." Sasuke chuckled softly and laid down beside Naruto. He tucked his arm around the blonde's midsection and snuggled contentedly against his lover's body. 

-----

Sasuke laid back onto the soft bed. He always felt refreshed after a long soak in a hot spring. He could hear Naruto moving around the room and sighed as he felt fresh air move across his partially exposed chest. Naruto turned after opening the large window in their room. They had decided to take some very well earned vacation time together, just the two of them. Words couldn't express how happy he was at that moment. Being with Sasuke like this seemed to calm him more than any form of meditation could. Sasuke reached out a hand and patted the bed beside him, a mischievous smirk on his handsome face. Naruto needed no other invitation, and fell onto the bed causing it to bounce happily up and down for a few moments. 

Lightly, Naruto ran his finger across Sasuke's dark brows and around his unseeing eyes. The fading sunlight was catching in their depths, turning them a rich caramel color. "Do you remember how Orochimaru took your eyesight?" 

"Not really. I don't actually remember much of when I was captured by him and then released again in the woods. Why?" 

"I just wondered. I'm still a bit confused about everything. I mean, why did Orochimaru leave such an obvious way to get out of that place? I keep thinking that maybe somehow it was one of the people who I talked with. Or even Gaara, because that was very odd that I ended up at his place." 

"Naruto, there are some things that I'm sure we'll never have answers for. That's just one of them. Maybe _that_ Gaara was able to see our world too and knew how you had helped his other self?" 

Naruto's hand came to a rest upon Sasuke's chest as he contemplated the possible answers. "Aww, who cares. I'm hungry, let's eat." He jumped off the bed, but Sasuke's hand grabbed onto the back of his yukata. 

"Why don't we eat in our room?" Naruto turned and gazed down at Sasuke. His eyes had darkened and seemed to be boring a hole through his body. It was odd, but it felt to Naruto that Sasuke could still see him. Sasuke's hand loosened its grip as Naruto grunted his agreement. 

When the food arrived, the two sat companionably on the raised tatami mat floor, Naruto eating happily and Sasuke smiling as he finished off his rice. As soon as he heard Naruto set his bowl down and sigh contentedly, Sasuke crawled around the small table and caught Naruto's ear between his teeth. The blonde gasped with surprise and then melted against Sasuke's body as his mouth trailed hot kisses down Naruto's neck. If his wondering hand hadn't been as clumsy, Naruto would have sworn that Sasuke's eyesight was back, but his hand had to fumble with the yukata before it found the bare flesh of Naruto's chest. 

Sasuke could feel Naruto's heart pounding against his ribcage. He quietly hoped that he wouldn't mess this up, it was bad enough that it was his first time, but to couple that with not being able to see, well he just prayed that it wasn't going to be a disaster. Naruto shifted so that he could kiss Sasuke, but there was a soft thud as their foreheads collided. "Ow. Dammit Naruto!" 

"What!? Don't yell at me!" Sasuke sighed in an attempt to calm himself. 

"Sorry." 

"It's okay," Naruto's pout did nothing to help his rising aggravation. He was slightly embarrassed, but Sasuke reminded himself that it was their first time and it was to be expected. 

Naruto's hands pushed Sasuke's yukata off his shoulders and then began to work on the belt. He had seen Sasuke naked before, but now it would be different. He wanted to make him feel good, to make him feel better than he'd ever felt before. In his rush, he knotted the belt and couldn't get it undone. Sasuke's hand wrapped tightly around one of Naruto's wrists. "Stop, Naruto. You're going too fast. Slow – down." His breath was starting to come in pants, and Sasuke knew that he wasn't going to last much longer with Naruto's hands that close to his dick. 

The blonde sat back, a bit dazed from the kissing and touching. "_Slow – down_? Huh?" 

"I want this to last just a little longer than a few seconds. Here, lay back." Naruto did as he was asked, and Sasuke leaned over him, his eyes closed. One of his hands was braced next to Naruto's shoulder, the other was very carefully untying the loose belt of his yukata. Soon the cool breeze drifted across Naruto's naked body, causing him to shiver. Sasuke leaned close to him and whispered, "I'll make you warm up in a second." He shivered again for entirely different reasons. Sasuke's hands slid down over the warm flesh of his lover's body. Naruto turned slightly trying to get closer to Sasuke, but was pressed onto his back by the same loving hand that was stirring him so. "Stay still," his whisper was like a caress, and Naruto decided that it might be best if he did as he was told. 

He may not be able to see his lover's reactions, but he could feel and hear each time he hit a sensitive area. The junction where his neck met his shoulder, his nipples, his side just above his hip bone; when he kissed or nibbled at these places Naruto's groans grew louder and his restlessness seemed to increase. Sasuke's hand slid down the soft line of hair on his abdomen and then slid up the length of swollen flesh that was Naruto's erection. 

"Sasuke …" He felt like he was going to come any moment, and wished that Sasuke would stop torturing him and find a steady rhythm. He was about to voice his opinion when a slick hot tongue prevented any more sane thought. His eyes flew open and he pushed himself up on his elbows just in time to watch Sasuke draw him into his open mouth. Limply, Naruto fell backwards and closed his eyes as his lover sucked more and more of him inside his hot wet mouth. 

As Sasuke's mouth worked its magic on Naruto, his fingers began to gently probe the blonde's tight anus. His thick finger pushed up against the puckered hole and easily slipped past the opening, surprising Sasuke at how easily the tip slid in. It took a bit more effort to press the rest of his finger inside, but he soon found the bundle of nerves that almost instantly pushed Naruto over the edge. He exploded hotly inside of Sasuke's mouth, who happily drank up. 

Sasuke tenderly licked Naruto clean. "I wish I could see you right now." Naruto gazed at his lover, his eyes a dark blue, his lips swollen, and his face flushed. He wasn't certain how to respond to such a statement, and instead settled for squeezing Sasuke's hand which lay against his ribcage. Sasuke rose and walked over to the nightstand beside their bed. His shin bumped the edge of the bed and almost caused him to fall on his return trip, but he made it back to Naruto in one piece. "Is this the right tube?" 

Naruto squinted and grinned. "Yeah." Sasuke fumbled a bit with the cap, but once it was off he squirted a bit on his fingertip. Naruto gasped quietly as the cold lube was worked against his skin. He closed his eyes as Sasuke's fingers slipped back inside, first one then two. They gently and lovingly prepped him for the forthcoming invasion of Sasuke's body. Once he had applied what he felt was enough lube, Sasuke turned to trying to untie his yukata. He wasn't sure what Naruto had done to the belt, but there was no way he could get it undone. Finally deciding to give up on the belt, he pushed the yukata open and wedged it in the belt. 

It was amazing how much control he was having to exert just to keep himself from giving in to the urge to quickly burry himself within the blonde. Not that Naruto was helping much. He seemed to be getting aroused again, and he wasn't keeping his hips still. Sasuke finally had to grab onto his hips and hold him in place so that he could test to see if he could move without hurting him. Naruto groaned with pleasure at the first thrust. His arms came up around Sasuke's narrow waist and held him tightly as the two moved together. 

Sasuke came with a violent shudder and a roar of pleasure escaping his lips. He felt Naruto's own release splash against their abdomens as he waited for his body to stop trembling. With a sigh, he fell onto the tatami mat and slung his arm possessively across Naruto's heaving chest. The two lay in that fashion for a space of time before Naruto rolled over and pressed a tender kiss upon Sasuke's slackened mouth. He had fallen asleep. The blonde chuckled softly and curled up against him to sleep as well. 

Sasuke's last conscious thought was about something Tsunade had said to him before they had left. She had told him that it may be possible to heal the occipital nerves which had been damaged. He knew, however, that even if that couldn't be done, it didn't matter because he had Naruto's love, and that was all he needed.   
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The End 

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_Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, TV-Tokyo, & Shounen Jump_


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